Isaiah 10:2

10:2 to keep the poor from getting fair treatment,

and to deprive ¹  the oppressed among my people of justice,

so they can steal what widows own,

and loot what belongs to orphans. ² 

Jeremiah 7:6-10

7:6 Stop oppressing foreigners who live in your land, children who have lost their fathers, and women who have lost their husbands. ³  Stop killing innocent people ⁴  in this land. Stop paying allegiance to ⁵  other gods. That will only bring about your ruin. ⁶  7:7 If you stop doing these things, ⁷  I will allow you to continue to live in this land ⁸  which I gave to your ancestors as a lasting possession. ⁹ 

7:8 “‘But just look at you! ¹⁰  You are putting your confidence in a false belief ¹¹  that will not deliver you. ¹²  7:9 You steal. ¹³  You murder. You commit adultery. You lie when you swear on oath. You sacrifice to the god Baal. You pay allegiance to ¹⁴  other gods whom you have not previously known. 7:10 Then you come and stand in my presence in this temple I have claimed as my own ¹⁵  and say, “We are safe!” You think you are so safe that you go on doing all those hateful sins! ¹⁶ 

Ezekiel 22:7

22:7 They have treated father and mother with contempt ¹⁷  within you; they have oppressed the foreigner among you; they have wronged the orphan and the widow ¹⁸  within you.

Amos 2:7

2:7 They trample ¹⁹  on the dirt-covered heads of the poor; ²⁰ 

they push the destitute away. ²¹ 

A man and his father go to the same girl; ²² 

in this way they show disrespect ²³  for my moral purity. ²⁴ 

Amos 8:4-6

8:4 Listen to this, you who trample ²⁵  the needy,

and do away with ²⁶  the destitute in the land.

8:5 You say,

“When will the new moon festival ²⁷  be over, ²⁸  so we can sell grain?

When will the Sabbath end, ²⁹  so we can open up the grain bins? ³⁰ 

We’re eager ³¹  to sell less for a higher price, ³² 

and to cheat the buyer with rigged scales! ³³ 

8:6 We’re eager to trade silver for the poor, ³⁴ 

a pair of sandals ³⁵  for the needy!

We want to mix in some chaff with the grain!” ³⁶ 

Micah 2:2

2:2 They confiscate the fields they desire,

and seize the houses they want. ³⁷ 

They defraud people of their homes, ³⁸ 

and deprive people of the land they have inherited. ³⁹ 

Micah 2:8

2:8 but you rise up as an enemy against my people. ⁴⁰ 

You steal a robe from a friend, ⁴¹ 

from those who pass by peacefully as if returning from a war. ⁴² 

Micah 3:2

3:2 yet you ⁴³  hate what is good, ⁴⁴ 

and love what is evil. ⁴⁵ 

You flay my people’s skin ⁴⁶ 

and rip the flesh from their bones. ⁴⁷ 

Matthew 23:14

23:14 [[EMPTY]] ⁴⁸ 

Mark 12:40

12:40 They ⁴⁹  devour widows’ property, ⁵⁰  and as a show make long prayers. These men will receive a more severe punishment.”

Mark 12:2

12:2 At harvest time he sent a slave ⁵¹  to the tenants to collect from them ⁵²  his portion of the crop. ⁵³ 

Mark 3:6

3:6 So ⁵⁴  the Pharisees ⁵⁵  went out immediately and began plotting with the Herodians, ⁵⁶  as to how they could assassinate ⁵⁷  him.

[10:2]  ¹ tn Or “rob” (ASV, NASB, NCV, NRSV); KJV “take away the right from the poor.”

[10:2]  ² tn Heb “so that widows are their plunder, and they can loot orphans.”

[7:6]  ³ tn Heb “Stop oppressing foreigner, orphan, and widow.”

[7:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “Stop shedding innocent blood.”

[7:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “going/following after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom involved here.

[7:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “going after other gods to your ruin.”

[7:7]  ⁵ tn The translation uses imperatives in vv. 5-6 followed by the phrase, “If you do all this,” to avoid the long and complex sentence structure of the Hebrew sentence which has a series of conditional clauses in vv. 5-6 followed by a main clause in v. 7.

[7:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “live in this place, in this land.”

[7:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “gave to your fathers [with reference to] from ancient times even unto forever.”

[7:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “Behold!”

[7:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “You are trusting in lying words.” See the similar phrase in v. 4 and the note there.

[7:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “not profit [you].”

[7:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “Will you steal…then say, ‘We are safe’?” Verses 9-10 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text.

[7:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “You go/follow after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom involved here.

[7:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “over which my name is called.” For this nuance of this idiom cf. BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph.2.d(4) and see the usage in 2 Sam 12:28.

[7:10]  ¹² tn Or “‘We are safe!’ – safe, you think, to go on doing all those hateful things.” Verses 9-10 are all one long sentence in the Hebrew text. It has been broken up for English stylistic reasons. Somewhat literally it reads “Will you steal…then come and stand…and say, ‘We are safe’ so as to/in order to do…” The Hebrew of v. 9 has a series of infinitives which emphasize the bare action of the verb without the idea of time or agent. The effect is to place a kind of staccato like emphasis on the multitude of their sins all of which are violations of one of the Ten Commandments. The final clause in v. 8 expresses purpose or result (probably result) through another infinitive. This long sentence is introduced by a marker (ה interrogative in Hebrew) introducing a rhetorical question in which God expresses his incredulity that they could do these sins, come into the temple and claim the safety of his protection, and then go right back out and commit the same sins. J. Bright (Jeremiah [AB], 52) catches the force nicely: “What? You think you can steal, murder…and then come and stand…and say, ‘We are safe…’ just so that you can go right on…”

[22:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “treated lightly, cursed.”

[22:7]  ¹⁴ tn Widows and orphans are often coupled together in the OT (Deut 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:19-21; 26:12-13; Jer 7:6; 22:3). They represented all who were poor and vulnerable to economic exploitation.

[2:7]  ¹⁵ tn Most scholars now understand this verb as derived from the root II שָׁאַף (sha’af, “to crush; to trample”), an alternate form of שׁוּף (shuf), rather than from I שָׁאַף (sha’af, “to pant, to gasp”; cf. KJV, ASV, NASB).

[2:7]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “those who stomp on the dirt of the ground on the head of the poor.” It is possible to render the line as “they trample the heads of the poor into the dust of the ground,” thereby communicating that the poor are being stepped on in utter contempt (see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 79-80). The participial form הַשֹּׁאֲפִים (hasho’afim) is substantival and stands in apposition to the pronominal suffix on מִכְרָם (mikhram, v. 6b).

[2:7]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “they turn aside the way of the destitute.” Many interpreters take “way” to mean “just cause” and understand this as a direct reference to the rights of the destitute being ignored. The injustice done to the poor is certainly in view, but the statement is better taken as a word picture depicting the powerful rich pushing the “way of the poor” (i.e., their attempt to be treated justly) to the side. An even more vivid picture is given in Amos 5:12, where the rich are pictured as turning the poor away from the city gate (where legal decisions were made, and therefore where justice should be done).

[2:7]  ¹⁸ sn Most interpreters see some type of sexual immorality here (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT), even though the Hebrew phrase הָלַךְ אֶל (halakh ’el, “go to”) never refers elsewhere to sexual intercourse. (The usual idiom is בוֹא אֶל [bo’ ’el]. However, S. M. Paul (Amos [Hermeneia], 82) attempts to develop a linguistic case for a sexual connotation here.) The precise identification of the “girl” in question is not clear. Some see the referent as a cultic prostitute (cf. NAB; v. 8 suggests a cultic setting), but the term נַעֲרָה (na’arah) nowhere else refers to a prostitute. Because of the contextual emphasis on social oppression, some suggest the exploitation of a slave girl is in view. H. Barstad argues that the “girl” is the hostess at a pagan מַרְזֵחַ (marzeakh) banquet (described at some length in 6:4-7). In his view the sin described here is not sexual immorality, but idolatry (see H. Barstad, The Religious Polemics of Amos [VTSup], 33-36). In this case, one might translate, “Father and son go together to a pagan banquet.” In light of this cultic context, F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman argue that this is a reference to a specific female deity (“the Girl”) and correlate this verse with 8:14 (Amos [AB], 318-19).

[2:7]  ¹⁹ tn Or “pollute”; “desecrate”; “dishonor.”

[2:7]  ²⁰ tn Heb “my holy name.” Here “name” is used metonymically for God’s moral character or reputation, while “holy” has a moral and ethical connotation.

[8:4]  ¹⁷ tn See the note on the word “trample” in 2:7.

[8:4]  ¹⁸ tn Or “put an end to”; or “exterminate.”

[8:5]  ¹⁹ sn Apparently work was prohibited during the new moon festival, just as it was on the Sabbath.

[8:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “pass by.”

[8:5]  ²¹ tn The verb, though omitted in the Hebrew text, is supplied in the translation from the parallel line.

[8:5]  ²² tn Heb “sell grain.” Here “grain” could stand by metonymy for the bins where it was stored.

[8:5]  ²³ tn Here and in v. 6 the words “we’re eager” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[8:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “to make small the ephah and to make great the shekel.” The “ephah” was a unit of dry measure used to determine the quantity purchased, while the “shekel” was a standard weight used to determine the purchase price. By using a smaller than standard ephah and a heavier than standard shekel, these merchants were able to increase their profit (“sell less for a higher price”) by cheating the buyer.

[8:5]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and to cheat with deceptive scales”; NASB, NIV “dishonest scales”; NRSV “false balances.”

[8:6]  ²¹ tn Heb “to buy the poor for silver.”

[8:6]  ²² tn See the note on the word “sandals” in 2:6.

[8:6]  ²³ tn Heb “The chaff of the grain we will sell.”

[2:2]  ²³ tn Heb “they desire fields and rob [them], and houses and take [them] away.”

[2:2]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and they oppress a man and his home.”

[2:2]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and a man and his inheritance.” The verb עָשַׁק (’ashaq, “to oppress”; “to wrong”) does double duty in the parallel structure and is understood by ellipsis in the second line.

[2:8]  ²⁵ tc Heb “Recently my people rise up as an enemy.” The MT is problematic in light of v. 9, where “my people” are the object of oppression, not the perpetrators of it. The form וְאֶתְמוּל (vÿ’etmul, “and recently”) is probably the product of fusion and subsequent suppression of an (ע) ayin. The translation assumes an emendation to וְאַתֶּם עַל (vÿ’attem ’al, “and you against [my people]”). The second person plural pronoun fits well with the second plural verb forms of vv. 8b-10. If this emendation is accepted, then יְקוֹמֵם (yÿqomem, the imperfect of קוּם [qum]) should be emended to קָמִים (qamim; a participle from the same root).

[2:8]  ²⁶ tc Heb “From the front of a garment glory [or perhaps, “a robe”] you strip off,” but this makes little if any sense. The term מִמּוּל (mimmul, “from the front of”) is probably the product of dittography (note the preceding word, which ends in [ם] mem) and subsequent suppression of ע (ayin). The translation assumes an emendation to מֵעַל (me’al, “from upon”). The translation also assumes an emendation of שַׂלְמָה אֶדֶר (salmah ’eder, “a garment, glory [or robe]”) to שֹׁלְמִים אֲדֶרֶת (sholÿmim ’aderet, “[from] a friend the robe [you strip off]”). The MT’s אֶדֶר (’eder) is the result of misdivision (the article has erroneously been attached to the preceding word) and haplography (of the final tav, which also begins the following word).

[2:8]  ²⁷ tc The passive participle שׁוּבֵי (shuvey) is unattested elsewhere and should be emended to a participle שָׁבִים (shavim).

[3:2]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the ones who.”

[3:2]  ²⁸ tn Or “good.”

[3:2]  ²⁹ tn Or “evil.”

[3:2]  ³⁰ tn Heb “their skin from upon them.” The referent of the pronoun (“my people,” referring to Jacob and/or the house of Israel, with the Lord as the speaker) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:2]  ³¹ tn Heb “and their flesh from their bones.”

[23:14]  ²⁹ tc The most important mss (א B D L Z Θ Ë¹ 33 892* pc and several versional witnesses) do not have 23:14 “Woe to you experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows’ property, and as a show you pray long prayers! Therefore you will receive a more severe punishment.” Part or all of the verse is contained (either after v. 12 or after v. 13) in W 0102 0107 ˹³ Ï and several versions, but it is almost certainly not original. The present translation follows NA²⁷ in omitting the verse number as well, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations. Note also that Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47 are very similar in wording and are not disputed textually.

[12:40]  ³¹ tn Grk “who,” continuing the sentence begun in v. 38.

[12:40]  ³² tn Grk “houses,” “households”; however, the term can have the force of “property” or “possessions” as well (O. Michel, TDNT 5:131; BDAG 695 s.v. οἶκια 1.a).

[12:2]  ³³ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 10:44.

[12:2]  ³⁴ tn Grk “from the tenants,” but this is redundant in English, so the pronoun (“them”) was used in the translation.

[12:2]  ³⁵ tn Grk “from the fruits of the vineyard.”

[3:6]  ³⁵ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[3:6]  ³⁶ sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.

[3:6]  ³⁷ tn Grk inserts “against him” after “Herodians.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has not been translated.

[3:6]  ³⁸ tn Grk “destroy.”