If I have eaten its yield without payment and made its owners breathe their last — Job addresses the potential sin of exploiting tenant farmers or servants who worked his land, consuming the fruit of their labor without just compensation. The phrase 'made its owners breathe their last' suggests either driving workers to exhaustion or dispossessing them of their livelihood. This verse reflects the same social ethics as the earlier oath verses regarding widows, orphans, and strangers — all forms of economic exploitation violate the covenant. The implicit denial is that Job has been a just employer and landowner.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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