³ and you ^[a]pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,”

The Perspective of Rich and Poor

⁹ Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, ¹⁰ but the rich in his humiliation, because ^(A)as a flower of the field he will pass away. ¹¹ For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.

⁶ But ^(A)you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you ^(B)and drag you into the courts?

Elisha and the Widow’s Oil^(A)

4 A certain woman of the wives of ^(B)the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming ^(C)to take my two sons to be his slaves.”

² So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”

¹⁷ Now therefore, know and consider what you will do, for ^(A)harm is determined against our master and against all his household. For he is such a ^(B)scoundrel^[a] that one cannot speak to him.”

¹⁰ Then Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, ^(A)“Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master.

^36 (A)And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and say, “Please, ^[a]put me in one of the priestly positions, that I may eat a piece of bread.” ’ ”