This book purports to be the exposition of a single commandment. It is that, But beyond that, it is a programmatic statement about how the Bible speaks about wealth, power, community, and responsibility. Without enganging in ideological extremity, the author shows how serious social criticism can illuminate scripture and rescue us from distortions of the text because of our own economic commitments. The outcome of the study is to show how the prohibition of stealing is not a defenese of private property (as commonly read) but a warning againts property management that diminishes community: that is, the text turns against our preferred reading.