in order to buy lowly people for mere silver and someone poor for the price of a pair of sandals, and that we may sell mere refuse of grain?’”​—Amos 8:4-6.

The poor would, therefore, become destitute and would be forced to sell themselves into slavery, and these selfish men would buy them. A poor man might not be able to pay for a pair of sandals, and for this his creditor might sell him into slavery. Not only was cheating done in the amount of grain that was sold but also as regards the quality of the cereals. The commodity sold was “mere refuse.”