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Then the LORD said to
Moses, "Go and tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to let the
Israelites leave his land." But Moses protested to the LORD,
"If the Israelites would not listen to me, how can it be that
Pharaoh will listen to me, poor speaker that I am!" Still,
the LORD, to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, spoke to Moses and
Aaron and gave them his orders regarding both the Israelites and
Pharaoh, king of Egypt. [EX 6:10-13]
"If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my
people, you shall not act like an extortioner toward him by
demanding interest from him." [EX 22:24]
You shall not favor a poor man in his lawsuit. [EX 23:3]
"For six years you may sow your land and gather in its
produce. But the seventh year you shall let the land lie untilled
and unharvested, that the poor among you may eat of it and the
beasts of the field may eat what the poor leave. So also shall you
do in regard to your vineyard and your olive grove." [EX 23:10-11]
Everyone who enters the registered group must pay a
half-shekel, according to the standard of the sanctuary shekel,
twenty gerahs to the shekel. This payment of a half-shekel is a
contribution to the LORD. Everyone of twenty years or more who
enters the registered group must give this contribution to the
LORD. The rich need not give more, nor shall the poor give less,
than a half-shekel in this contribution to the LORD to pay the
forfeit for their lives. [EX 30:13-15]
"When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not be so thorough that you reap the field to its very edge, nor shall you glean the stray ears of grain.
Likewise, you shall not pick your vineyard bare, nor gather up the grapes that have fallen. These things you shall leave for the poor and the alien. I, the LORD, am your God."
[LEV 19:9-10]
However, if the one who took the vow is too poor to meet the
fixed sum, the person must be set before the priest, who shall
determine the sum for his ransom in keeping with the means of the
one who made the vow. [LEV 27:8]
If one of your kinsmen in any community is in need in the land
which the LORD, your God, is giving you, you shall not harden your
heart nor close your hand to him in his need. Instead, you shall
open your hand to him and freely lend him enough to meet his need.
Be on your guard lest, entertaining the mean thought that the
seventh year, the year of relaxation, is near, you grudge help to
your needy kinsman and give him nothing; else he will cry to the
LORD against you and you will be held guilty. When you give to
him, give freely and not with ill will; for the LORD, your God,
will bless you for this in all your works and undertakings. The
needy will never be lacking in the land; that is why I command you
to open your hand to your poor and needy kinsman in your country. [DEUT
15:7-11]
If he is a poor man, you shall not sleep in the mantle he gives as a pledge, but shall return it to him at sunset that he himself may sleep in it. Then he will bless you, and it will be a good deed of yours before the LORD, your God.
[DEUT 24:12-13]
"You shall not defraud a poor and needy hired servant,
whether he be one of your own countrymen or one of the aliens who
live in your communities. You shall pay him each day's wages before sundown on the day
itself, since he is poor and looks forward to them. Otherwise he
will cry to the LORD against you, and you will be held guilty."
[DEUT 24:14-15]
He said, "May the LORD bless you, my daughter! You have been even more loyal now than before in not going after the young men, whether poor or rich. So be assured, daughter, I will do for you whatever you say; all my townspeople know you for a worthy woman."
[Taken from RUTH 3:10-11]
The LORD makes poor and makes rich, he humbles, he also exalts.
He raises the needy from the dust; from the ash heap he lifts
up the poor, To seat them with nobles and make a glorious throne
their heritage. He gives to the vower his vow, and blesses the
sleep of the just. "For the pillars of the earth are the
LORD'S, and he has set the world upon them." [1SAM 2:7-8]
Saul then ordered his servants to speak to David privately and to say: "The king is fond of you, and all his officers love you. You should become the king's son-in-law."
But when Saul's servants mentioned this to David, he said: "Do you think it easy to become the king's son-in-law? I am poor and insignificant."
[1SAM 18:22-23]
He deported all Jerusalem: all the officers and men of the
army, ten thousand in number, and all the craftsmen and smiths.
None were left among the people of the land except the poor. [2KGS
24:14]
Then Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, led into exile the last of the people remaining in the city, and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the last of the artisans.
But some of the country's poor, Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, left behind as vinedressers and farmers.
[2KGS 25:11-12]
Thus under King Esarhaddon I returned to my home, and my wife
Anna and my son Tobiah were restored to me. Then on our festival
of Pentecost, the feast of Weeks, a fine dinner was prepared for
me, and I reclined to eat. The table was set for me, and when many
different dishes were placed before me, I said to my son Tobiah:
"My son, go out and try to find a poor man from among our
kinsmen exiled here in Nineveh. If he is a sincere worshiper of
God, bring him back with you, so that he can share this meal with
me. Indeed, son, I shall wait for you to come back." [TOBIT
2:1-2]
"Give alms from your possessions. Do not turn your face
away from any of the poor, and God's face will not be turned away
from you. Son, give alms in proportion to what you own. If you
have great wealth, give alms out of your abundance; if you have
but little, distribute even some of that. But do not hesitate to
give alms; you will be storing up a goodly treasure for yourself
against the day of adversity. Almsgiving frees one from death, and
keeps one from going into the dark abode. Alms are a worthy offering in the sight of the Most High for all who give them."
[TOBIT 4:7-11]
Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to all the
Jews, both near and far, in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.
He ordered them to celebrate every year both the fourteenth and
the fifteenth of the month of Adar as the days on which the Jews
obtained rest from their enemies and as the month which was turned
for them from sorrow into joy, from mourning into festivity. They
were to observe these days with feasting and gladness, sending
food to one another and gifts to the poor. [ESTH 9:20-22]
Menelaus, who was the cause of all the trouble, the king
acquitted of the charges, while he condemned to death those poor
men who would have been declared innocent even if they had pleaded
their case before Scythians. [2MACC 4:47]
But the poor from the edge of the sword and from the hand of
the mighty, he saves. [JOB 5:15]
There are those who are rebels against the light; they know not
its ways; they abide not in its paths. When there is no light the
murderer rises, to kill the poor and needy. [JOB 24:13-14]
For I rescued the poor who cried out for help, the orphans, and
the unassisted [Taken from JOB 29:12]
If I have denied anything to the poor, or allowed the eyes of
the widow to languish While I ate my portion alone, with no share
in it for the fatherless, Though like a father God has reared me
from my youth, guiding me even from my mother's womb - If I have
seen a wanderer without clothing, or a poor man without covering,
Whose limbs have not blessed me when warmed with the fleece of my
sheep; If I have raised my hand against the innocent because I saw
that I had supporters at the gate - Then may my arm fall from the
shoulder, my forearm be broken at the elbow! For the dread of God
will be upon me, and his majesty will overpower me. [JOB 31:16-23]
Without a trial he breaks the mighty, and sets others in their
stead, Because they turned away from him and heeded none of his
ways, But caused the cries of the poor to reach him, so that he
heard the plea of the afflicted. [JOB 34:24,27-28]
Why, LORD, do you stand at a distance and pay no heed to these
troubled times? Arrogant scoundrels pursue the poor; they trap
them by their cunning schemes. The wicked even boast of their
greed; these robbers curse and scorn the LORD. [PS 10:1-3]
Rise up, LORD God! Raise your arm! Do not forget the poor! Why
should the wicked scorn God, say in their hearts, "God
doesn't care"? But you do see; you do observe this misery and
sorrow; you take the matter in hand. To you the helpless can
entrust their cause; you are the defender of orphans. [PS 10:12-14]
You listen, LORD, to the needs of the poor; you encourage them
and hear their prayers. [PS 10:17]
Will these evildoers never learn? They devour my people as they
devour bread; they do not call upon the LORD. They have good
reason, then, to fear; God is with the company of the just. They
would crush the hopes of the poor, but the poor have the LORD as
their refuge. [PS 14:4-6]
For God has not spurned or disdained the misery of this poor wretch,
Did not turn away from me, but heard me when I cried out.
[PS 22:25]
"The poor will eat their fill; those who seek the LORD will
offer praise. May your hearts enjoy life forever!" [PS 22:27]
I will bless the LORD at all times; praise shall be always in
my mouth. My soul will glory in the LORD that the poor may hear
and be glad. Magnify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name
together. [PS 34:2-4]
The powerful grow poor and hungry, but those who seek the LORD
lack no good thing. [PS 34:11]
Wait a little, and the wicked will be no more; look for them and they will not be there.
But the poor will possess the land, will delight in great prosperity.
[PS 37:10-11]
The wicked draw their swords; they string their bows To fell
the poor and oppressed, to slaughter those whose way is honest.
Their swords will pierce their own hearts; their bows will be
broken.
[PS 37:14-15]
Though I am afflicted and poor, the Lord keeps me in mind. You
are my help and deliverer; my God, do not delay! [PS 40:18]
Happy those concerned for the lowly and poor; when misfortune
strikes, the LORD delivers them. The LORD keeps and preserves
them, makes them happy in the land, and does not betray them to
their enemies. The LORD sustains them on their sickbed, allays the
malady when they are ill. [PS 41:2-4]
Hear this, all you peoples! Give ear, all who inhabit the
world, You of lowly birth or high estate, rich and poor alike. My
mouth shall speak wisdom, my heart shall offer insight. [PS 49:2-4]
God, when you went forth before your people, when you marched
through the desert... The earth quaked, the heavens shook, before
God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel. You claimed
a land as your own, O God; your people settled there. There you
poured abundant rains, God, graciously given to the poor in their
need. [Taken from PS 68:8-11]
"See, you lowly ones, and be glad; you who seek God, take
heart! For the LORD hears the poor, does not spurn those in
bondage. Let the heavens and the earth sing praise, the seas and
whatever moves in them!" [PS 69:33-35]
Here I am, afflicted and poor. God, come quickly! You are my
help and deliverer. LORD, do not delay! [PS 70:6]
O God, give your judgment to the king; your justice to the son
of kings; That he may govern your people with justice, your
oppressed with right judgment, That the mountains may yield their
bounty for the people, and the hills great abundance, That he may
defend the oppressed among the people, save the poor and crush the
oppressor. [PS 72:2-4]
Let not the oppressed turn back in shame; may the poor and
needy praise your name. Arise, God, defend your cause; remember
the constant jeers of the fools. Do not ignore the clamor of your
foes, the unceasing uproar of your enemies. [PS 74:21-23]
"Defend the lowly and fatherless; render justice to the afflicted and needy.
Rescue the lowly and poor; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."
[Taken from PS 82:3-4]
Hear me, LORD, and answer me, for I am
poor and oppressed. [PS 86:1]
While the poor were released from their affliction; their
families increased like their flocks. [PS 107:41]
For God stands at the right hand of the poor to defend them
against unjust accusers. [PS 109:31]
All goes well for those gracious in lending, who conduct their
affairs with justice. They shall never be shaken; the just shall
be remembered forever. They shall not fear an ill report; their
hearts are steadfast, trusting the LORD. Their hearts are
tranquil, without fear, till at last they look down on their foes.
Lavishly they give to the poor; their prosperity shall endure
forever; their horn shall be exalted in honor. [PS 112:5-9]
The LORD raises the needy from the dust, lifts the poor from
the ash heap, Seats them with princes, the princes of the people,
Gives the childless wife a home, the joyful mother of children.
Hallelujah! [PS 113:7-9]
Slanderers will not survive on earth; evil will quickly entrap
the violent. For I know the LORD will secure justice for the
needy, their rights for the poor. Then the just will give thanks
to your name; the upright will dwell in your presence. [PS 140:12-14]
Great is our Lord, vast in power, with wisdom beyond measure. The LORD sustains the poor, but casts the wicked to the ground.
[PS 147:5-6]
For the LORD takes delight in his people, honors the poor with
victory. [PS 149:4]
One man is lavish yet grows still richer; another is too
sparing, yet is the poorer. He who confers benefits will be amply
enriched, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
Him who monopolizes grain, the people curse - but blessings upon
the head of him who distributes it! [PROV 11:24-26]
One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends
to be poor, yet has great wealth. [PROV 13:7]
A man's riches serve as ransom for his life, but the poor man
heeds no rebuke. [PROV 13:8]
A lawsuit devours the tillage of the poor, but some men perish
for lack of a law court. [PROV 13:23]
Even by his neighbor the poor man is hated, but the friends of
the rich are many. [PROV 14:20]
He sins who despises the hungry; but happy is he who is kind to
the poor! [PROV 14:21]
He who oppresses the poor blasphemes his Maker, but he who is
kind to the needy glorifies him. [PROV 14:31]
He who mocks the poor blasphemes his Maker; he who is glad at
calamity will not go unpunished. [PROV 17:5]
The poor man implores, but the rich man answers harshly. [PROV
18:23]
Better a poor man who walks in his integrity than he who is
crooked in his ways and rich. [PROV 19:1]
Wealth adds many friends, but the friend of the poor man
deserts him. [PROV 19:4]
Many curry favor with a noble; all are friends of the man who has something to give.
All the poor man's brothers hate him; how much more do his friends shun him!
[PROV 19:6-7]
He who has compassion on the poor lends to the LORD, and he
will repay him for his good deed. [PROV 19:17]
From a man's greed comes his shame; rather be a poor man than a
liar. [PROV 19:22]
He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will himself also
call and not be heard. [PROV 21:13]
Rich and poor have a common bond: the LORD is the maker of them
all. [PROV 22:2]
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of
the lender. [PROV 22:7]
The kindly man will be blessed, for he gives of his sustenance
to the poor. [PROV 22:9]
He who oppresses the poor to enrich himself will yield up his
gains to the rich as sheer loss. [PROV 22:16]
Injure not the poor because they are poor, nor crush the needy at the gate;
For the LORD will defend their cause, and will plunder the lives of those who plunder them.
[PROV 22:22-23]
A rich man who oppresses the poor is like a devastating rain
that leaves no food. [PROV 28:3]
Better a poor man who walks in his integrity than he who is
crooked in his ways and rich. [PROV 28:6]
He who increases his wealth by interest and overcharge gathers
it for him who is kind to the poor. [PROV 28:8]
The rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who is
intelligent sees through him. [PROV 28:11]
Like a roaring lion or a ravenous bear is a wicked ruler over a
poor people. [PROV 28:15]
He who gives to the poor suffers no want, but he who ignores
them gets many a curse. [PROV 28:27]
The just man has a care for the rights of the poor; the wicked
man has no such concern. [PROV 29:7]
The poor and the oppressor have a common bond: the LORD gives
light to the eyes of both. [PROV 29:13]
If a king is zealous for the rights of the poor, his throne
stands firm forever. [PROV 29:14]
There is a group whose incisors are swords, whose teeth are
knives, Devouring the needy from the earth, and the poor from
among men. [PROV 30:14]
Open your mouth in behalf of the dumb, and for the rights of the destitute;
Open your mouth, decree what is just, defend the needy and the poor!
[PROV 31:8-9]
When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls.
Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize.
She brings him good, and not evil, all the days of her life... She
reaches out her hands to the poor, and extends her arms to the
needy. [Taken from PROV 31:10-12,20]
Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king
who no longer knows caution; for from a prison house one comes forth to rule, since even in
his royalty he was poor at birth. [ECCL 4:13-14]
If you see oppression of the poor, and violation of rights and
justice in the realm, do not be shocked by the fact, for the high
official has another higher than he watching him and above these
are others higher still [Taken from ECCL 5:7]
On the other hand I saw this wise deed under the sun, which I
thought sublime. Against a small city with few men in it advanced
a mighty king, who surrounded it and threw up great siegeworks
about it. But in the city lived a man who, though poor, was wise,
and he delivered it through his wisdom. Yet no one remembered this
poor man. Though I had said, "Wisdom is better than
force," yet the wisdom of the poor man is despised and his
words go unheeded. [ECCL 9:13-16]
My son, rob not the poor man of his livelihood; force not the
eyes of the needy to turn away. A hungry man grieve not, a needy
man anger not; Do not exasperate the downtrodden; delay not to
give to the needy. A beggar in distress do not reject; avert not
your face from the poor. From the needy turn not your eyes, give
no man reason to curse you; For if in the bitterness of his soul
he curse you, his Creator will hear his prayer. [SIRACH 4:1-6]
Give a hearing to the poor man, and return his greeting with
courtesy; Deliver the oppressed from the hand of the oppressor;
let not justice be repugnant to you. To the fatherless be as a
father, and help their mother as a husband would; Thus will you be
like a son to the Most High, and he will be more tender to you
than a mother. [SIRACH 4:8-10]
To the poor man also extend your hand, that your blessing may
be complete; Be generous to all the living, and withhold not your
kindness from the dead. Avoid not those who weep, but mourn with
those who mourn; Neglect not to visit the sick - for these things
you will be loved. In whatever you do, remember your last days,
and you will never sin. [SIRACH 7:32-36]
It is not just to despise a man who is wise but poor, nor
proper to honor any sinner. [SIRACH 10:22]
The poor man is honored for his wisdom as the rich man is honored for his wealth;
Honored in poverty, how much more so in wealth! Dishonored in wealth, in poverty how much the more!
[SIRACH 10:29-30]
The poor man's wisdom lifts his head high and sets him among
princes. [SIRACH 11:1]
Admire not how sinners live, but trust in the LORD and wait for
his light; For it is easy with the LORD suddenly, in an instant,
to make a poor man rich. [SIRACH 11:21]
The rich man does wrong and boasts of it, the poor man is
wronged and begs forgiveness. [SIRACH 13:3]
Can there be peace between the hyena and the dog? Or between
the rich and the poor can there be peace? [SIRACH 13:17]
A proud man abhors lowliness; so does the rich man abhor the
poor. [SIRACH 13:19]
When a rich man stumbles he is supported by a friend; when a
poor man trips he is pushed down by a friend. Many are the
supporters for a rich man when he speaks; though what he says is
odious, it wins approval. When a poor man speaks they make sport
of him; he speaks wisely and no attention is paid him. A rich man
speaks and all are silent, his wisdom they extol to the clouds. A
poor man speaks and they say: "Who is that?" If he slips
they cast him down. [SIRACH 13:20-22]
Prayer from a poor man's lips is heard at once, and justice is
quickly granted him. [SIRACH 21:5]
Make fast friends with a man while he is poor; thus will you
enjoy his prosperity with him. In time of trouble remain true to
him, so as to share in his inheritance when it comes. [SIRACH
22:23]
A good wife is a generous gift bestowed upon him who fears the LORD;
Be he rich or poor, his heart is content, and a smile is ever on his face.
[SIRACH 26:3-4]
To a poor man, however, be generous; keep him not waiting for your alms;
Because of the precept, help the needy, and in their want, do not send them away empty-handed.
[SIRACH 29:8-9]
Better a poor man's fare under the shadow of one's own roof
than sumptuous banquets among strangers. Be it little or much, be
content with what you have, and pay no heed to him who would
disparage your home; A miserable life it is to go from house to
house, for as a guest you dare not open your mouth. [SIRACH 29:22-24]
Better a poor man strong and robust, than a rich man with wasted frame. More precious than gold is health and well-being,
contentment of spirit than coral. No treasure greater than a healthy body; no happiness, than a joyful heart!
[SIRACH 30:14-16]
Keeping watch over riches wastes the flesh, and the care of wealth drives away rest. Concern for one's livelihood banishes slumber; more than a serious illness it disturbs repose. The rich man labors to pile up wealth, and his only rest is wanton pleasure; The poor man toils for a meager subsistence, and if ever he rests, he finds himself in want.
[SIRACH 31:1-4]
Tainted his gifts who offers in sacrifice ill-gotten goods! Mock presents from the lawless win not God's favor. The Most High approves not the gifts of the godless, nor for their many sacrifices does he forgive their sins. Like the man who slays a son in his father's presence is he who offers sacrifice from the possessions of the poor.
[SIRACH 34:18-20]
The LORD rises to accuse, standing to try his people. The Lord
enters into judgment with his people's elders and princes: It is
you who have devoured the vineyard; the loot wrested from the poor
is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my people, and
grinding down the poor when they look to you? says the Lord, the
GOD of hosts. [ISA 3:13-15]
Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and who write oppressive decrees, Depriving the needy of judgment and robbing my people's poor of their
rights [Taken from ISA 10:1-2]
But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his
roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon
him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel
and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. Not by appearance
shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, But he shall judge
the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land's afflicted.
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with
the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be
the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips. [ISA
11:1-5]
O LORD, you are my God, I will extol you and praise your name;
For you have fulfilled your wonderful plans of old, faithful and
true. For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a
ruin; The castle of the insolent is a city no more, nor ever to be
rebuilt. Therefore a strong people will honor you, fierce nations
will fear you. For you are a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the
needy in distress; Shelter from the rain, shade from the heat. As
with the cold rain, as with the desert heat, even so you quell the
uproar of the wanton. [ISA 25:1-5]
Trust in the LORD forever! For the LORD is an eternal Rock. He
humbles those in high places, and the lofty city he brings down;
He tumbles it to the ground, levels it with the dust. It is
trampled underfoot by the needy, by the footsteps of the poor. The
way of the just is smooth; the path of the just you make level. [ISA
26:4-7]
The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD, and the poor rejoice
in the Holy One of Israel. [ISA 29:19]
No more will the fool be called noble, nor the trickster be
considered honorable. For the fool speaks foolishly, planning evil
in his heart: How to do wickedness, to speak perversely against
the LORD, To let the hungry go empty and the thirsty be without
drink. And the trickster uses wicked trickery, planning crimes:
How to ruin the poor with lies, and the needy when they plead
their case. But the noble man plans noble things, and by noble
things he stands.
[ISA 32:5-8]
They go their wicked way; justice they do not defend By advancing the claim of the fatherless or judging the cause of the poor. Shall I not punish these things? says the LORD; on a nation such as this shall I not take vengeance?
[Taken from JER 5:28-29]
Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD, For he has rescued the life
of the poor from the power of the wicked! [JER 20:13]
Must you prove your rank among kings by competing with them in
cedar? Did not your father eat and drink? He did what was right
and just, and it went well with him. Because he dispensed justice
to the weak and the poor, it went well with him. Is this not true
knowledge of me? says the LORD. [JER 22:15-16]
As I live, says the Lord GOD, I swear that your sister Sodom, with her daughters, has not done as you and your daughters have done!
And look at the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters were proud, sated with food, complacent in their prosperity, and they gave no help to the poor and needy. Rather, they became haughty and committed abominable crimes in my presence; then, as you have seen, I removed them.
[EZEK 16:48-50]
Her prophets cover them with whitewash, pretending to visions
that are false and performing lying divinations, saying,
"Thus says the Lord GOD," although the LORD has not
spoken. The people of the land practice extortion and commit
robbery; they afflict the poor and the needy, and oppress the
resident alien without justice. Thus I have searched among them
for someone who could build a wall or stand in the breach before
me to keep me from destroying the land; but I found no one.
Therefore I have poured out my fury upon them; with my fiery wrath
I have consumed them; I have brought down their conduct upon their
heads, says the Lord GOD. [Taken from EZEK 22:28-31]
"Therefore, O king, take my advice; atone for your sins by good
deeds, and for your misdeeds by kindness to the poor; then your
prosperity will be long." [DAN 4:24]
Thus says the LORD: For three crimes of Israel, and for four, I
will not revoke my word; Because they sell the just man for
silver, and the poor man for a pair of sandals. [AMOS 2:6]
Thus says the LORD of hosts: Render true judgment, and show kindness and compassion toward each other. Do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the alien or the poor; do not plot evil against one another in your hearts.
[Taken from ZECH 7:9-10]
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven." [MT 5:3]
When John heard in prison of the works of the Messiah, he sent
his disciples to him with this question, "Are you the one who
is to come, or should we look for another?" Jesus said to
them in reply, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the
blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the
deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news
proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at
me." [MT 11:2-6]
Now someone approached him and said, "Teacher, what good
must I do to gain eternal life?" He answered him, "Why
do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If
you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." He asked
him, "Which ones?" And Jesus replied, "'You shall
not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you
shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother';
and 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" The young
man said to him, "All of these I have observed. What do I
still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be
perfect, go, sell what you have and give to (the) poor, and you
will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the
young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many
possessions. [MT 19:16-22]
Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,
a woman came up to him with an alabaster jar of costly perfumed
oil, and poured it on his head while he was reclining at table.
When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and said,
"Why this waste? It could have been sold for much, and the
money given to the poor." Since Jesus knew this, he said to
them, "Why do you make trouble for the woman? She has done a
good thing for me. The poor you will always have with you; but you
will not always have me. In pouring this perfumed oil upon my
body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Amen, I say to you,
wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she
has done will be spoken of, in memory of her." [MT 26:6-13]
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down
before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to
inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, "Why do you
call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the
commandments: 'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall
not defraud; honor your father and your mother.'" He replied
and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from
my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
"You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and
give to (the) poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then
come, follow me." At that statement his face fell, and he
went away sad, for he had many possessions. Jesus looked around
and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for those who have
wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" [MK 10:17-23]
He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd
put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A
poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.
Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I
say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other
contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from
their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed
all she had, her whole livelihood." [MK 12:41-44]
When he was in Bethany reclining at table in the house of Simon
the leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of perfumed oil,
costly genuine spikenard. She broke the alabaster jar and poured
it on his head. There were some who were indignant. "Why has
there been this waste of perfumed oil? It could have been sold for
more than three hundred days' wages and the money given to the
poor." They were infuriated with her. Jesus said, "Let
her alone. Why do you make trouble for her? She has done a good
thing for me. The poor you will always have with you, and whenever
you wish you can do good to them, but you will not always have me.
She has done what she could. She has anticipated anointing my body
for burial. Amen, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed
to the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of
her." [MK 14:3-9]
[Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went
according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He
stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He
unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed
me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the
oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the
Lord." Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the
attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue
looked intently at him. He said to them, "Today this
scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." [Taken from
LK 4:16-21]
And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said:
"Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is
yours." [LK 6:20]
The disciples of John told him about all these things. John
summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask,
"Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for
another?" When the men came to him, they said, "John the
Baptist has sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who is to
come, or should we look for another?'" At that time he cured
many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits; he also
granted sight to many who were blind. And he said to them in
reply, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the
blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the
deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news
proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at
me." [LK 7:18-23]
Then he said to the host who invited him, "When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
[LK 14:12-14]
One of his fellow guests on hearing this said to him,
"Blessed is the one who will dine in the kingdom of
God." He replied to him, "A man gave a great dinner to
which he invited many. When the time for the dinner came, he
dispatched his servant to say to those invited, 'Come, everything
is now ready.' But one by one, they all began to excuse
themselves. The first said to him, 'I have purchased a field and
must go to examine it; I ask you, consider me excused.' And
another said, 'I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way
to evaluate them; I ask you, consider me excused.' And another
said, 'I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.'
The servant went and reported this to his master. Then the master
of the house in a rage commanded his servant, 'Go out quickly into
the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and
the crippled, the blind and the lame.' The servant reported, 'Sir,
your orders have been carried out and still there is room.' The
master then ordered the servant, 'Go out to the highways and
hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled. For,
I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my
dinner.'" [LK 14:15-24]
"There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and
fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door
was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly
have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's
table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor
man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld,
where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far
off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, 'Father Abraham,
have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in
water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these
flames.' Abraham replied, 'My child, remember that you received
what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received
what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are
tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is
established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go
from our side to yours or from your side to ours.' He said, 'Then
I beg you, father, send him to my father's house, for I have five
brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this
place of torment.' But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the
prophets. Let them listen to them.' He said, 'Oh no, father
Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will
repent.' Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and
the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should
rise from the dead.'" [LK 16:19-31]
An official asked him this question, "Good teacher, what
must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him,
"Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You
know the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery; you shall
not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother.'" And he replied,
"All of these I have observed from my youth." When Jesus
heard this he said to him, "There is still one thing left for
you: sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you
will have a treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." But
when he heard this he became quite sad, for he was very rich.
Jesus looked at him (now sad) and said, "How hard it is for
those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is
easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a
rich person to enter the kingdom of God." [LK 18:18-25]
He came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a
man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also
a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not
see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he
ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who
was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus
looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for
today I must stay at your house." And he came down quickly
and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to
grumble, saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a
sinner." But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
"Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the
poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it
four times over." And Jesus said to him, "Today
salvation has come to this house because this man too is a
descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to
save what was lost." [LK 19:1-10]
When he looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their
offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in
two small coins. He said, "I tell you truly, this poor widow
put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made
offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty,
has offered her whole livelihood." [LK 21:1-4]
Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus
was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for
him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those
reclining at table with him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed
oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus
and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the
fragrance of the oil. Then Judas the Iscariot, one (of) his
disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, "Why was
this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages and given to the
poor?" He said this not because he cared about the poor but
because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal
the contributions. So Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Let her
keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with
you, but you do not always have me." [JN 12:1-8]
When he had said this, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified,
"Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me."
The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he
meant. One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was
reclining at Jesus' side. So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out
whom he meant. He leaned back against Jesus' chest and said to
him, "Master, who is it?" Jesus answered, "It is
the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it." So
he dipped the morsel and (took it and) handed it to Judas, son of
Simon the Iscariot. After he took the morsel, Satan entered him.
So Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do
quickly." (Now) none of those reclining at table realized why
he said this to him. Some thought that since Judas kept the money
bag, Jesus had told him, "Buy what we need for the
feast," or to give something to the poor. So he took the
morsel and left at once. And it was night. [JN 13:21-30]
For Macedonia and Achaia have decided to make some contribution for the poor among the holy ones in Jerusalem; they decided to do it, and in fact they are indebted to them, for if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to serve them in material blessings.
[ROM 15:26-27]
We are fools on Christ's account, but you are wise in Christ;
we are weak, but you are strong; you are held in honor, but we in
disrepute. To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are
poorly clad and roughly treated, we wander about homeless and we
toil, working with our own hands. When ridiculed, we bless; when
persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we respond gently. We have
become like the world's rubbish, the scum of all, to this very
moment. [1COR 4:10-13]
We cause no one to stumble in anything, in order that no fault
may be found with our ministry; on the contrary, in everything we
commend ourselves as ministers of God, through much endurance, in
afflictions, hardships, constraints, beatings, imprisonments,
riots, labors, vigils, fasts; by purity, knowledge, patience,
kindness, in a holy spirit, in unfeigned love, in truthful speech,
in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness at the right
and at the left; through glory and dishonor, insult and praise. We
are treated as deceivers and yet are truthful; as unrecognized and
yet acknowledged; as dying and behold we live; as chastised and
yet not put to death; as sorrowful yet always rejoicing; as poor
yet enriching many; as having nothing and yet possessing all
things. [2COR 6:3-10]
For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
for your sake he became poor although he was rich, so that by his
poverty you might become rich. [2COR 8:9]
So I thought it necessary to encourage the brothers to go on
ahead to you and arrange in advance for your promised gift, so
that in this way it might be ready as a bountiful gift and not as
an exaction. Consider this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap
sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap
bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness
or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is
able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things,
always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every
good work. As it is written: "He scatters abroad, he gives to
the poor; his righteousness endures forever." The one who
supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and
multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
You are being enriched in every way for all generosity, which
through us produces thanksgiving to God, for the administration of
this public service is not only supplying the needs of the holy
ones but is also overflowing in many acts of thanksgiving to God.
Through the evidence of this service, you are glorifying God for
your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ and the
generosity of your contribution to them and to all others, while
in prayer on your behalf they long for you, because of the
surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks be to God for his
indescribable gift! [2COR 9:5-15]
On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with
the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter to the circumcised,
for the one who worked in Peter for an apostolate to the
circumcised worked also in me for the Gentiles, and when they
recognized the grace bestowed upon me, James and Kephas and John,
who were reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas their right
hands in partnership, that we should go to the Gentiles and they
to the circumcised. Only, we were to be mindful of the poor, which
is the very thing I was eager to do. [GAL 2:7-10]
My brothers, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in
our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if a man with gold rings on
his fingers and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a
poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention
to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Sit here,
please," while you say to the poor one, "Stand
there," or "Sit at my feet," have you not made
distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs?
Listen, my beloved brothers. Did not God choose those who are poor
in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he
promised to those who love him? But you dishonored the poor
person. Are not the rich oppressing you? And do they themselves
not haul you off to court? Is it not they who blaspheme the noble
name that was invoked over you? However, if you fulfill the royal
law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor
as yourself," you are doing well. But if you show partiality,
you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For
whoever keeps the whole law, but falls short in one particular,
has become guilty in respect to all of it. For he who said,
"You shall not commit adultery," also said, "You
shall not kill." Even if you do not commit adultery but kill,
you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as
people who will be judged by the law of freedom. For the judgment
is merciless to one who has not shown mercy; mercy triumphs over
judgment. [JMS 2:1-13]
"To the angel of the church in Laodicea, write this: 'The
Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source of God's creation,
says this: "I know your works; I know that you are neither
cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you
are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my
mouth. For you say, 'I am rich and affluent and have no need of
anything,' and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable,
poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined
by fire so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so
that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed, and buy ointment
to smear on your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I
reprove and chastise. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. Behold, I
stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens
the door, (then) I will enter his house and dine with him, and he
with me. I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my
throne, as I myself first won the victory and sit with my Father
on his throne. Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says
to the churches."'" [RV 3:14-22]
Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth; it had two
horns like a lamb's but spoke like a dragon. It wielded all the
authority of the first beast in its sight and made the earth and
its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had
been healed. It performed great signs, even making fire come down
from heaven to earth in the sight of everyone. It deceived the
inhabitants of the earth with the signs it was allowed to perform
in the sight of the first beast, telling them to make an image for
the beast who had been wounded by the sword and revived. It was
then permitted to breathe life into the beast's image, so that the
beast's image could speak and (could) have anyone who did not
worship it put to death. It forced all the people, small and
great, rich and poor, free and slave, to be given a stamped image
on their right hands or their foreheads, so that no one could buy
or sell except one who had the stamped image of the beast's name
or the number that stood for its name. Wisdom is needed here; one
who understands can calculate the number of the beast, for it is a
number that stands for a person. His number is six hundred and
sixty-six. [RV 13:11-18]
Also try:
poverty
[P]
need
/ needs / needy [N2]
oppress
/ oppressor / oppression [O2]
aid
/ assist / avail [H11a]
almsgiving
[A]
charity
/ charitable [C]
generous
/ generosity [G]
rich
/ riches [R10a]
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