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 fortified city,(A)
    but poverty is the ruin of the poor.(B)

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24 One person gives freely,
yet gains more;(A)
another withholds what is right,
only to become poor.(B)

25 A generous person will be enriched,(C)
and the one who gives a drink of water
will receive water.(D)

26 People will curse(E) anyone who hoards grain,
but a blessing will come to the one who sells it.(F)

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24 One person gives freely, yet gains even more;
    another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

25 A generous(A) person will prosper;
    whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.(B)

26 People curse the one who hoards grain,
    but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell.

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23 The uncultivated field of the poor yields abundant food,
but without justice, it is swept away.

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23 An unplowed field produces food for the poor,
    but injustice sweeps it away.

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25 The Lord tears apart the house of the proud,
but he protects the widow’s territory.(A)

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25 The Lord tears down the house of the proud,(A)
    but he sets the widow’s boundary stones in place.(B)

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The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker,(A)
and one who rejoices over calamity
will not go unpunished.(B)

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Whoever mocks the poor(A) shows contempt for their Maker;(B)
    whoever gloats over disaster(C) will not go unpunished.(D)

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Wealth attracts many friends,(A)
but a poor person 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 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

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,(A)
    and he will reward them for what they have done.(B)

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

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A generous person[a] will be blessed,(A)
for he shares his food with the poor.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 22:9 Lit Good of eye

The generous will themselves be blessed,(A)
    for they share their food with the poor.(B)

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16 Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself,
and giving to the rich—both lead only to poverty.(A)

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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 Don’t rob a poor person because he is poor,
and don’t crush the oppressed(A) at the city gate,(B)
23 for the Lord will champion their cause(C)
and will plunder those who plunder them.

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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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