Amos 8:4-7
“Hear this, you who trample the needy, and make the poor of the land fail, saying, “When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale? Making the ephah small, and the shekel large, and dealing falsely with balances of deceit; that we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals, and sell the refuse of the wheat?” Yahweh has sworn by the pride of Jacob, “Surely I will never forget any of their works.””
This passage comes from the prophet Amos, who delivered messages in the 8th century BCE to the northern kingdom of Israel. He spoke during a time of relative prosperity, but also growing social and economic injustice, where the wealthy exploited the poor, often through dishonest business practices.
What systems or practices in our present society might unintentionally (or intentionally) disadvantage vulnerable people in ways similar to what Amos describes?