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Jun 1, 2011

32 Is forced labor an injustice, period

It's Exodus vs 1 Kings

The Old Testament Book of Exodus tells us:
That Egypt oppressed the Hebrews with forced labor 

But wait!

The Old Testament book 1 Kings says:
That Israel oppressed local residents with forced labor

In Exodus, the Egyptian king’s injustice made slaves of Hebrews

Exodus 1:8 Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.


1 Kings says that centuries later Jerusalem’s king made slaves of non-Israelites living in their land 

1 Kings 9:15 Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted to build the LORD's temple, his own palace, the supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and [cities] Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer. ... 20 All the people left from the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (these peoples were not Israelites), 21 that is, their descendants remaining in the land, whom the Israelites could not exterminate--these Solomon conscripted for his slave labor force, as it is to this day. 22 But Solomon did not make slaves of any of the Israelites; they were his fighting men, his government officials, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and charioteers.

Recap: I say there's a double standard going on there. Thus Exodus vs 1 Kings.

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