15 The (A)rich person’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 fortress;
    the poverty of the poor is their destruction.

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24 There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,
And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in poverty.
25 A [a](A)generous person will be [b]prosperous,
And one who (B)gives others plenty of water will himself be given plenty.
26 One who withholds grain, the (C)people will curse him,
But (D)blessing will be on the head of him who (E)sells it.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 11:25 Lit soul of blessing
  2. Proverbs 11:25 Lit made fat

24 Give freely and become more wealthy;
    be stingy and lose everything.

25 The generous will prosper;
    those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

26 People curse those who hoard their grain,
    but they bless the one who sells in time of need.

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23 (A)Abundant food is in the uncultivated ground of the poor,
But [a]it is swept away by injustice.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:23 Lit there is what is swept

23 A poor person’s farm may produce much food,
    but injustice sweeps it all away.

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25 The Lord will (A)tear down the house of the proud,
But He will (B)set the boundary of the (C)widow.

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25 The Lord tears down the house of the proud,
    but he protects the property of widows.

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One who mocks the (A)poor taunts his Maker;
One who (B)rejoices at disaster will not go unpunished.

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Those who mock the poor insult their Maker;
    those who rejoice at the misfortune of others will be punished.

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

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Wealth makes many “friends”;
    poverty drives them all away.

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All the brothers of a poor person 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 relatives of the poor despise them;
    how much more will their friends avoid them!
Though the poor plead with them,
    their friends are gone.

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17 One who (A)is gracious to a poor person 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 If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord
    and he will repay you!

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13 One who (A)shuts his ear to the outcry of the poor
Will also call out himself, and not be (B)answered.

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13 Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor
    will be ignored in their own time of need.

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One who [a]is (A)generous will be blessed,
Because he (B)gives some of his food to the poor.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:9 Lit has a good eye

Blessed are those who are generous,
    because they feed the poor.

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

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:16 Lit much

16 A person who gets ahead by oppressing the poor
    or by showering gifts on the rich will end in poverty.

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22 (A)Do not rob the poor because he is poor,
Nor (B)crush the needy 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

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.

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