Deuteronomy 24:14–15
The law: pay the poor hired worker his wages each day, so he won't cry out to YHWH against you
Study it word by word14You shall not exploit a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether of your brothers or of your resident aliens who are in your land, within your gates.
15On his day you shall give him his wages, and the sun shall not go down on him, for he is poor and to it he lifts up his soul; so that he does not cry out against you to YHWH, and it be sin in you.
In its context
12And if he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge.
13You shall surely return the pledge to him when the sun goes down, so that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you; and it will be righteousness for you before YHWH your Elohim.
…
16Fathers shall not be put to death for sons, and sons shall not be put to death for fathers; each shall be put to death for his own sin.
17You shall not pervert the justice due the resident alien or the orphan, and you shall not take in pledge the garment of a widow.
Its words in the original
- תַעֲשֹׁקtaashok· oppress, defraud
Oppress, defraud: take advantage of someone by taking what is his; crush.
- שָׂכִירsachir· hired worker
Hired worker: a laborer paid by the day or by the year.
- עָנִיani· poor, afflicted
Poor, afflicted: one who suffers need and has no one to defend him; also humble.
- אֶבְיוֹןevyon· needy
Needy: one who depends on the help of others.
- אַחֶיache· brother
Brother; also a close relative, or someone of the same people.
- גֵּרְger· resident alien
Foreigner who lives in a land that is not his own, without the rights of those who belong to the place.
- אַרְצְarts· earth, land
The earth, in two senses: the whole world in contrast with the heavens, or a particular country or region ("the land of Egypt").
- שְׁעָרֶיsheare· gate
Gate of a city. It was also the open place where the elders met, business was done and disputes were judged.
- יוֹמyom· day
Day: the hours of light, or a whole day from one evening to the next. Also an indefinite time or age ("in the day that...", "in those days").
- תִתֵּןtiten· give, put, set
Give, in a very wide sense: hand over, put, place, grant, allow, make something be.
- שְׂכָרsechar· wages
Pay for work; wages, reward.
- תָבוֹאtavo· come, go in, bring
Come, arrive, go in, enter. In the causative form, "bring" or "carry in". "Go in to" a woman is to have marital relations with her.
- שֶּׁמֶשׁshemesh· sun
Sun.
- נֹשֵׂאnose· lift, carry, bear
Lift up, carry, bear. "Bear sin" is to suffer its consequences; said of God, "taking away" sin is forgiving it. "Lift up the eyes" is to look.
- נַפְשׁnafsh· soul, living being, life
A breathing being, a living being. It is translated "living being" (people and animals), "life" (when living or dying is at stake), "person" (in counts and laws), "soul" (the person at the innermost: desires, joy, anguish) or "myself". In the Old Testament it names the whole living being, not only a part of it.
- יִקְרָאyikra· call, proclaim
Call: speak out to someone, summon, invite, give a name, proclaim; also read aloud. "Call on the name of YHWH" is to pray to him and worship him.
- יְהוָהyehva· YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
- הָיָהhaya· be, become, happen
Be, exist; also "become" or "happen". It is the verb of "there was", "it was" and "it came to pass".
- חֵטְאchet· offense, sin
Offense, sin; its penalty.