Thematic Bible: Oppressions of


Thematic Bible



You have indeed exacted pledges from your family for no reason, and stripped the naked of their clothing. Verse ConceptsCreditBorrowing, SuretyGuaranteeFalse AccusationsPeople Stripping Peoplelent

They drive away the donkey of the orphan. They take the widow's ox for a pledge. Verse ConceptsOxenCreditAbhorGuaranteeOppression, Nature OfOrphansWidowsCreditorsOwning LivestockNot Helping Widows


There are those who snatch the orphan child from the breast. They take as a pledge the infant of the poor. Verse ConceptsBreasts, Nursing MothersDebtorsPitilessnessPitilessness CondemnedNot Helping The PoorTaking Other PeopleMotherhoodPurgatorybaby

Come to an agreement quickly with the one who has a legal case against you. Do it before he turns the case over to the judge and you are thrown into jail. Take it from me; you will stay in jail until you pay the very last penny of your fine.

For example when an opponent brings you to court, try to settle before you get there. Otherwise, he will drag you in front of a judge and the judge will hand you over to an officer who will throw you into prison. I tell you that you will not get out until you pay every penny of your fine.

Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their countrymen the Jews. Some said: We with our sons and our daughters are a great number. Let us get grain, so that we may have food for our needs. There were some who said: We are giving our fields and our vine-gardens and our houses for debt. Let us get grain because we are in need. read more.
Yet others said: We have given up our fields and our vine-gardens to get money for the king's taxes. But our flesh is the same as the flesh of our countrymen, and our children as their children. Now we give our sons and daughters into the hands of others, to be their servants. Some of our daughters are servants even now. We have no power to stop this. For other men have our fields and our vine-gardens. On hearing their outcry and what they said I was very angry. After giving it much thought, I made a protest to the chiefs and the rulers, and said to them: Everyone of you is collecting interest from his brothers. I organized a big meeting of protest. I said to them: We have given whatever we were able to give, to make our brothers the Jews free. They were servants and prisoners of the nations. Would you now give up your brothers for a price? Are they to become our property? They said nothing. They answered not a word! I said: What you are doing is not good. Is it not necessary for you to walk out of respect for our God, because of the shame the nations put on us? Even I and my servants have been collecting interest (Usury) for the money and the grain we have let them have. So now, let us give this up. Give back to them this very day their fields, their vine-gardens, their olive-gardens, and their houses, as well as a hundredth part of the money and the grain and the wine and the oil that you have taken from them. They said: We will give them back, and take nothing for them. We will do as you say. Then I sent for the priests and made them take an oath that they would keep this agreement. Shaking out the folds of my robe, I said: So, may God send out from his house and his work every man who does not keep this agreement. Even so let him be sent out and made as nothing. All the people said: Amen! They praised Jehovah. The people did as they said.

What he toiled for he must give back uneaten. He will not enjoy the profit from his trading. For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor and left them destitute. He has violently seized houses he did not build. He will have no respite from his craving; he cannot save himself by his treasure.

Do not give pledges and be guarantors for debts. If you have nothing to pay, why should he take away your bed from under you?

Then that servant met another servant who was in debt to him for one hundred denarii. He took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay your debt now.' That servant fell down before him, saying, 'Give me time and I will make payment to you.' He would not give him time. He put him into prison till he paid the debt. read more.
When the other servants saw what happened, they were very sad. They told their lord what had been done. His lord sent for him, and said: 'Evil servant; I made you free of all that debt, because of your request to me. Should you [also] show mercy to your fellow servant the same way I showed mercy to you?' His lord was angry and sent him to jail to be punished until he paid back all of his debt. My heavenly Father will treat you like that if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.

I will approach you people for judgment! I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, the adulterers and those acting fraudulently with the wages of the worker, the widow and the fatherless. I will be a speedy witness against those who swear falsely and take advantage of the stranger, and do not show me reverence, said Jehovah of Hosts. Verse ConceptsAdultery, Consequences OfGod, Righteousness OfInjustice, Hated By GodMastersMoney, Stewardship OfOppression, Nature OfOrphansPerjuryPoverty, Attitudes TowardsRiches, Dangers OfServants, Working Conditions OfSexual Sin, Nature OfSuffering, Nature OfSuffering, Of The InnocentWagesWidowsAliens, God's AttitudeHirelingsDivinationStrangersEmployersThreateningsOppressing ForeignersSpeedThe Witness Of GodThose OppressedAdulteryNo Fear Of GodNot Helping WidowsSorceryImmigrantswitches



He went to work for a citizen of that country who sent him to his farm to take care of the pigs. He wanted to eat the Carob bean pods the pigs ate, but no one gave him anything to eat.

Your father Solomon treated us harshly and placed heavy burdens on us. If you make these burdens lighter and make life easier for us, we will be your loyal subjects. Verse ConceptsLeaders, PoliticalMastersWork, And The FallYokesRemoving BurdensLight YokeEasy Burdens

Your father made us carry a heavy burden. Reduce the hard work and lighten the heavy burden he put on us. We will serve you. Verse ConceptsYokesApproval To Kill Oneself