15 The (A)rich man’s wealth is his [a]fortress,
The (B)ruin of the poor is their poverty.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:15 Lit strong city

15 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city,(A)
    but poverty is the ruin of the poor.(B)

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20 The (A)poor is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.

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20 The poor are shunned even by their neighbors,
    but the rich have many friends.(A)

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23 The (A)poor man utters supplications,
But the (B)rich man (C)answers roughly.

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23 The poor plead for mercy,
    but the rich answer harshly.

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On Life and Conduct

19 (A)Better is a poor man who (B)walks in his integrity
Than he who is perverse in [a]speech and is a fool.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:1 Lit his lips

19 Better the poor whose walk is blameless
    than a fool whose lips are perverse.(A)

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(A)Wealth adds many friends,
But a poor man is separated from his friend.

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Wealth attracts many friends,
    but even the closest friend of the poor person deserts them.(A)

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All the brothers of a poor man hate him;
How much more do his (A)friends abandon him!
He (B)pursues them with words, but they are [a]gone.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:7 Lit not

The poor are shunned by all their relatives—
    how much more do their friends avoid them!(A)
Though the poor pursue them with pleading,
    they are nowhere to be found.[a](B)

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.

17 One who (A)is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord,
And He will repay him for his [a](B)good deed.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:17 Or benefits

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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22 What is desirable in a man is his [a]kindness,
And it is better to be a poor man than a liar.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:22 Or loyalty

22 What a person desires is unfailing love[a];
    better to be poor than a liar.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:22 Or Greed is a person’s shame

13 He who (A)shuts his ear to the cry of the poor
Will also cry himself and not be (B)answered.

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13 Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor
    will also cry out(A) and not be answered.(B)

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The rich and the poor [a]have a common bond,
The Lord is the (A)maker of them all.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:2 Lit meet together

Rich and poor have this in common:
    The Lord is the Maker of them all.(A)

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The (A)rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.

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The rich rule over the poor,
    and the borrower is slave to the lender.

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16 He (A)who oppresses the poor to make [a]more for himself
Or who gives to the rich, (B)will only come to poverty.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:16 Lit much

16 One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth
    and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.

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22 (A)Do not rob the poor because he is poor,
Or (B)crush the afflicted at the gate;
23 For the Lord will (C)plead their case
And [a]take the life of those who rob them.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:23 Lit rob the soul

Saying 2

22 Do not exploit the poor(A) because they are poor
    and do not crush the needy in court,(B)
23 for the Lord will take up their case(C)
    and will exact life for life.(D)

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