Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.(A)

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16 “If I have denied the desires of the poor(A)
    or let the eyes of the widow(B) grow weary,(C)
17 if I have kept my bread to myself,
    not sharing it with the fatherless(D)
18 but from my youth I reared them as a father would,
    and from my birth I guided the widow(E)
19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,(F)
    or the needy(G) without garments,
20 and their hearts did not bless me(H)
    for warming them with the fleece(I) from my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,(J)
    knowing that I had influence in court,(K)
22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
    let it be broken off at the joint.(L)

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26 They are always generous and lend freely;(A)
    their children will be a blessing.[a](B)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 37:26 Or freely; / the names of their children will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or freely; / others will see that their children are blessed

For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will seek your prosperity.(A)

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21 It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor,(A)
    but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.(B)

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17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,(A)
    and he will reward them for what they have done.(B)

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He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly(A) and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly[a](B) with your God.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 6:8 Or prudently

Giving to the Needy

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.(A) If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.(B)

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The Sheep and the Goats

31 “When the Son of Man comes(A) in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.(B) 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate(C) the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.(D) 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom(E) prepared for you since the creation of the world.(F) 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,(G) 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me,(H) I was sick and you looked after me,(I) I was in prison and you came to visit me.’(J)

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’(K)

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me,(L) you who are cursed, into the eternal fire(M) prepared for the devil and his angels.(N) 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’(O)

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.(P)(Q)

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13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.(A) Mercy triumphs over judgment.

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