⁷ Now if there are some poor persons among you, say one of your fellow Israelites in one of your cities in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, don’t be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward your poor fellow Israelites. ⁸ To the contrary! Open your hand wide to them. You must generously lend them whatever they need. ⁹ But watch yourself! Make sure no wicked thought crosses your mind, such as, The seventh year is coming—the year of debt cancellation—so that you resent your poor fellow Israelites and don’t give them anything. If you do that, they will cry out to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin. ¹⁰ No, give generously to needy persons. Don’t resent giving to them because it is this very thing that will lead to the Lord your God’s blessing you in all you do and work at. ¹¹ Poor persons will never disappear from the earth. That’s why I’m giving you this command: you must open your hand generously to your fellow Israelites, to the needy among you, and to the poor who live with you in your land.

⁶ What I mean is this: the one who sows a small number of seeds will also reap a small crop, and the one who sows a generous amount of seeds will also reap a generous crop.

⁷ Everyone should give whatever they have decided in their heart. They shouldn’t give with hesitation or because of pressure. God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ God has the power to provide you with more than enough of every kind of grace. That way, you will have everything you need always and in everything to provide more than enough for every kind of good work. ⁹ As it is written, He scattered everywhere; he gave to the needy; his righteousness remains forever.^[a]

¹⁰ The one who supplies seed for planting and bread for eating will supply and multiply your seed and will increase your crop, which is righteousness.

Jesus feeds four thousand people

8 In those days there was another large crowd with nothing to eat. Jesus called his disciples and told them, ² “I feel sorry for the crowd because they have been with me for three days and have nothing to eat. ³ If I send them away hungry to their homes, they won’t have enough strength to travel, for some have come a long distance.”

⁴ His disciples responded, “How can anyone get enough food in this wilderness to satisfy these people?”

⁵ Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?”

They said, “Seven loaves.”

⁶ He told the crowd to sit on the ground. He took the seven loaves, gave thanks, broke them apart, and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they gave the bread to the crowd. ⁷ They also had a few fish. He said a blessing over them, then gave them to the disciples to hand out also. ⁸ They ate until they were full. They collected seven baskets full of leftovers.