Thematic Bible: Often cruel in exacting debts

I thought over this in my heart, and then I quarreled with the nobles and the prefects. I said to them, "You yourselves are taking interest from your own brother!" So I called the great assembly against them, and I said to them: "We ourselves have bought back our brothers the Jews who were sold to the nations as we were able. But now you yourselves have sold your brothers so they may be sold to us!" They were silent and could not find a word [to say]. So I said, "The thing that you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God [to prevent] the disgrace from the nations, our enemies?

They drive away [the] donkey of orphans; they take [the] widow's ox as a pledge. They thrust [the] poor off the road; [the] needy of [the] earth hide themselves together. "Look, [like] wild donkeys in the desert they go out to their labor [as] searchers for the prey; [the] wilderness [is] {their} food for the young. read more.
They reap their fodder in the field, and they glean [in the] vineyard of [the] wicked. They spend the night naked, {without} clothing, and [they] have no garment in the cold. They are wet from the rainstorm of the mountains, and they cling to the rock {without} refuge. "They snatch [the] orphan from [the] breast, and they take a pledge against [the] needy.

But that slave went out [and] found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii, and taking hold of him, he began to choke [him], saying, 'Pay back everything that you owe!' Then his fellow slave threw himself to the ground [and] began to implore him, saying, 'Be patient with me and I will repay you!' But he did not want to, but rather he went [and] threw him into prison until he would repay what was owed.