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You asked

how does the new testament echo or develop this concern for prompt and fair wages?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Deuteronomy 24:14-15

You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers, or one of your foreigners who are in your land within your gates. You shall give him his hire in his day, and the sun shall not go down on it, for he is poor, and sets his heart on it; lest he cry against you to Yahweh, and it be sin to you.

This instruction is part of a larger collection of laws given to the people of Israel as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. Moses delivers these laws, which cover various aspects of justice, social responsibility, and ethical conduct, aiming to establish a just and compassionate society.

What systems in place today might lead to delayed or unfair payment for work, and what responsibility do we have to address them?

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Read alongside it

  • James 5:4

    This New Testament passage condemns those who withhold wages from workers, echoing the spirit of Deuteronomy.

  • Leviticus 19:13

    Another Old Testament law that explicitly prohibits delaying a hired worker's wages overnight.

  • Matthew 20:1-16

    The parable of the workers in the vineyard raises questions about fair compensation and generosity, though with a different emphasis than simple promptness.

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