שִׁמְעוּ זֹאת הַ שֹּׁאֲפִים אֶבְיוֹן וְלַשְׁבִּית עֲנִיֵּי אָרֶץ: לֵאמֹר מָתַי יַעֲבֹר הַחֹדֶשׁ וְנַשְׁבִּירָה שֶּׁבֶר וְהַ שַּׁבָּת וְנִפְתְּחָה בָּר לְהַקְטִין אֵיפָה וּלְהַגְדִּיל שֶׁקֶל וּלְעַוֵּת מֹאזְנֵי מִרְמָה: לִקְנוֹת בַּכֶּסֶף דַּלִּים וְאֶבְיוֹן בַּעֲבוּר נַעֲלָיִם וּמַפַּל בַּר נַשְׁבִּיר:
Listen to this, you who devour the needy, annihilating the poor of the land, saying, "If only the new moon were over, so that we could sell grain; the sabbath, so that we could offer wheat for sale, using an ephah that is too small, and a shekel that is too big, tilting a dishonest scale, and selling grain refuse as grain! We will buy the poor for silver, the needy for a pair of sandals."
[JPS translation]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. What does this text say about the priorities of the people described here?
2. What are the power dynamics between the buyers and the sellers?
3. Which of these tactics are still practiced in business today?
Time Period: Biblical (early ancestors to 165 BCE)