15 (A)A rich man's wealth is his strong city;
    the poverty of the poor is their ruin.

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15 The riches of the wealthy are their strong city;
    the ruin of the poor is their poverty.

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24 (A)One gives (B)freely, yet grows all the richer;
    another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
25 (C)Whoever brings blessing (D)will be enriched,
    and (E)one who waters will himself be watered.
26 (F)The people curse him who holds back grain,
    but (G)a blessing is on the head of him who (H)sells it.

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24 Those who give generously receive more,
    but those who are stingy with what is appropriate will grow needy.
25 Generous persons will prosper;
    those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
26 People curse those who hoard grain,
    but they bless those[a] who sell it.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 11:26 Or the heads of those

23 The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food,
    but it is swept away through (A)injustice.

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23 A poor person’s land might produce much food,
    but it is unjustly swept away.

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25 The Lord tears down the house of (A)the proud
    but (B)maintains (C)the widow's boundaries.

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25 The Lord snatches away the arrogant one’s house,
    but he preserves the widow’s boundaries.

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Whoever mocks the poor (A)insults his Maker;
    he who is (B)glad at calamity will not go (C)unpunished.

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Those who mock the poor insult their maker;
    those who rejoice in disaster won’t go unpunished.

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(A)Wealth brings many new friends,
    (B)but a poor man is deserted by his friend.

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Riches increase one’s friends,
    but the poor lose their friends.

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(A)All a poor man's brothers hate him;
    (B)how much more do his friends go far from him!
He pursues them with words, but does not have them.[a]

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Footnotes

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

All the relatives of the poor hate them;
    even more, their friends stay far from them.
    When they pursue them with words, they aren’t there.

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17 (A)Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
    and he (B)will repay him for his (C)deed.

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17 Those who are gracious to the poor lend to the Lord,
    and the Lord will fully repay them.

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13 (A)Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor
    will himself call out and not be answered.

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13 Those who close their ears to the cries of the poor
    will themselves call out but receive no answer.

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(A)Whoever has a bountiful[a] eye will be blessed,
    for he (B)shares his bread with the poor.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:9 Hebrew good

Happy are generous people,
    because they give some of their food to the poor.

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16 Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth,
    or gives to the rich, (A)will only come to poverty.

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16 Oppressing the poor to get rich
    and giving to the wealthy lead only to poverty.

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22 (A)Do not rob the poor, because he is poor,
    or (B)crush the afflicted at (C)the gate,
23 for (D)the Lord will plead their cause
    and rob of life those who rob them.

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22 Don’t steal from the poor, because they are poor.
    Don’t oppress the needy in the gate.
23 The Lord will take up their case
    and press the life out of those who oppress them.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:23 Heb uncertain