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

Read full chapter

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

Read full chapter

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.

Read full chapter

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)

Read full chapter

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

Read full chapter

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

Read full chapter

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

Read full chapter

25 The Lord destroys the house of the proud,
but He protects the widow’s territory.(A)

Read full chapter

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

Read full chapter

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

Read full chapter

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

Read full chapter

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

Read full chapter

(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]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

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

All the brothers of a poor man 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]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:7 Hb uncertain

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

Read full chapter

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

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:17 Lit to him

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

Read full chapter

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

Read full chapter

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

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:9 Hebrew good

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

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:9 Lit Good of eye

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

Read full chapter

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

Read full chapter

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.

Read full chapter

22 Don’t rob a poor man because he is poor,
and don’t crush the oppressed(A) at the gate,(B)
23 for the Lord will take up their case(C)
and will plunder those who plunder them.

Read full chapter