This plural noun denotes rewards or bribes, particularly those offered to corrupt officials. Isaiah uses it to indict Jerusalem's leaders who 'love bribes and chase after rewards,' abandoning their duty to defend orphans and widows. The term parallels 'bribe' (shohad) in Isaiah 1:23, suggesting payments that pervert justice—not legitimate compensation but illicit rewards that turn judges into accomplices of wrongdoing. The root meaning of 'recompense' here takes a dark turn, describing not righteous requital but corrupt payoffs.