Both low and high, rich and poor, together.

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both low and high,(A)
    rich and poor alike:

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Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.

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Surely the lowborn(A) are but a breath,(B)
    the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance,(C) they are nothing;
    together they are only a breath.

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My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;

And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:

Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?

Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?

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Favoritism Forbidden

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious(A) Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.(B) Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges(C) with evil thoughts?

Listen, my dear brothers and sisters:(D) Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world(E) to be rich in faith(F) and to inherit the kingdom(G) he promised those who love him?(H) But you have dishonored the poor.(I) Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?(J) Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?

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Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the Lord, nor the judgment of their God.

I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.

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I thought, “These are only the poor;
    they are foolish,(A)
for they do not know(B) the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.
So I will go to the leaders(C)
    and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.”
But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
    and torn off the bonds.(D)

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The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them all.

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

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The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.

He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and he hath set the world upon them.

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The Lord sends poverty and wealth;(A)
    he humbles and he exalts.(B)
He raises(C) the poor(D) from the dust(E)
    and lifts the needy(F) from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
    and has them inherit a throne of honor.(G)

“For the foundations(H) of the earth are the Lord’s;
    on them he has set the world.

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15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

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15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free,(A) hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.(B) 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us(C) and hide us[a] from the face of him who sits on the throne(D) and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day(E) of their[b] wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”(F)

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 6:16 See Hosea 10:8.
  2. Revelation 6:17 Some manuscripts his

Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:

10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.

11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

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Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.(A) 10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower.(B) 11 For the sun rises with scorching heat(C) and withers(D) the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed.(E) In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

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19 How much less to him that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor? for they all are the work of his hands.

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19 who shows no partiality(A) to princes
    and does not favor the rich over the poor,(B)
    for they are all the work of his hands?(C)

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