Proverbs 14:31
New Living Translation
31 Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker,
but helping the poor honors him.
Proverbs 17:5
New Living Translation
5 Those who mock the poor insult their Maker;
those who rejoice at the misfortune of others will be punished.
Proverbs 22:16
New Living Translation
16 A person who gets ahead by oppressing the poor
or by showering gifts on the rich will end in poverty.
Proverbs 22:2
New Living Translation
2 The rich and poor have this in common:
The Lord made them both.
Proverbs 19:17
New Living Translation
17 If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—
and he will repay you!
1 John 4:21
New Living Translation
21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.[a]
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- 4:21 Greek The one who loves God must also love his brother.
Ecclesiastes 5:8
New Living Translation
The Futility of Wealth
8 Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy.
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Job 31:13-16
New Living Translation
13 “If I have been unfair to my male or female servants
when they brought their complaints to me,
14 how could I face God?
What could I say when he questioned me?
15 For God created both me and my servants.
He created us both in the womb.
16 “Have I refused to help the poor,
or crushed the hopes of widows?
1 John 3:17-21
New Living Translation
17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister[a] in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?
18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.
21 Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence.
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- 3:17 Greek sees his brother.
2 Corinthians 8:7-9
New Living Translation
7 Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us[a]—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.
8 I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.
9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
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- 8:7 Some manuscripts read your love for us.
John 12:8
New Living Translation
8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
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Matthew 25:40-46
New Living Translation
40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,[a] you were doing it to me!’
41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.[b] 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’
45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’
46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
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Proverbs 22:22-23
New Living Translation
22 Don’t rob the poor just because you can,
or exploit the needy in court.
23 For the Lord is their defender.
He will ruin anyone who ruins them.
Proverbs 14:21
New Living Translation
21 It is a sin to belittle one’s neighbor;
blessed are those who help the poor.
Psalm 12:5
New Living Translation
5 The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless,
and I have heard the groans of the poor.
Now I will rise up to rescue them,
as they have longed for me to do.”
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.