thinking bible.

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how might modern economic structures, even without explicit fraud, create situations where wages 'cry out' today?

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

James 5:4

Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of those who reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Armies.

The book of James, written likely in the mid-first century CE, is a letter from James (often identified as Jesus' brother) to Jewish Christians scattered across various regions. It is a practical guide on living out faith, focusing on ethical conduct, social justice, and perseverance.

What responsibility might individuals and societies have today for economic systems that, even unintentionally, lead to unjust wages?

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Read alongside it

  • Deuteronomy 24:14-15

    This Law warns against oppressing a hired servant, emphasizing the urgency of paying wages daily.

  • Malachi 3:5

    This prophet declares God's judgment against those who oppress the hired worker in their wages.

  • Leviticus 19:13

    This command prohibits withholding the wages of a hired worker overnight.

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