15 The wealth of the rich is his fortified city;(A)
the poverty of the poor is their destruction.

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15 The wealth of the rich is their fortress;
    the poverty of the poor is their ruin.(A)

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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 A poor person is hated even by his neighbor,(A)
but there are many who love the rich.(B)

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

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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 poor person pleads,(A)
but the rich one answers roughly.(B)

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23 The poor use entreaties,
    but the rich answer roughly.(A)

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

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19 Better a poor person who lives with integrity(A)
than someone who has deceitful lips and is a fool.

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19 Better the poor walking in integrity
    than one perverse of speech who is a fool.(A)

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

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Wealth attracts many friends,(A)
but a poor person is separated from his friend.

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Wealth brings many friends,
    but the poor are left friendless.(A)

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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 person hate him;(A)
how much more do his friends
keep their distance from him!
He may pursue them with words,(B)
but they are not there.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. 19:7 Hb uncertain

If the poor are hated even by their kin,
    how much more are they shunned by their friends!
When they call after them, they are not there.[a](A)

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Footnotes

  1. 19.7 Meaning of Heb uncertain

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 Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord,(A)
and he will give a reward to the lender.[a](B)

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Footnotes

  1. 19:17 Lit to him

17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord
    and will be repaid in full.(A)

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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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22 What is desirable in a person is his fidelity;
better to be a poor person than a liar.(A)

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22 What is desirable in a person is loyalty,
    and it is better to be poor than a liar.

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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 The one who shuts his ears to the cry of the poor
will himself also call out and not be answered.(A)

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13 If you close your ear to the cry of the poor,
    you will cry out and not be heard.(A)

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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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