You asked

how do other biblical texts, like proverbs or the prophets, speak about the exploitation of workers?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Micah 2:1-2

“Woe to those who devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand. They covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away. They oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.”

Micah was a prophet in Judah during the 8th century BCE, a time of significant social and economic disparity. He spoke out against the injustices perpetrated by the wealthy and powerful against the poor and vulnerable, often warning of impending judgment from God.

What responsibility might those with power and resources hold towards preventing exploitation, according to Micah's strong condemnation?

Then — the setting

Micah prophesied in the late 8th century BCE (around 735-700 BCE) in Judah, during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. This period was characterized by increasing social stratification, where a wealthy elite, often comprising landowners and officials, exploited the poor through unjust land acquisition, debt slavery, and corruption within the legal system. Micah's audience included these powerful elites, as well as the common people who suffered under their oppression, and his message was a warning of God's impending judgment through the Assyrian empire.

Across the Testaments

This passage from Micah is in the Old Testament, where the prophets consistently advocate for justice and condemn the exploitation of the vulnerable. The New Testament continues this theme, notably in James 5:4, which directly criticizes those who withhold wages from workers. Jesus's teachings, while not always explicitly about worker exploitation, strongly emphasize care for the poor, warning against the dangers of wealth accumulation at the expense of others (e.g., Luke 12:13-21, the rich fool; Luke 16:19-31, the rich man and Lazarus), aligning with the prophetic call for justice.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Deuteronomy 24:14-15
This law explicitly forbids oppressing a hired servant who is poor and needy, and requires paying them daily wages.
James 5:4
This New Testament passage echoes the prophets, condemning the wealthy who have withheld wages from their laborers.
Proverbs 22:16
This proverb highlights that exploiting the poor for gain, or giving to the rich, both lead to poverty.

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