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"If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest.
If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset,
because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
Exodus Chapter 22: Verses 25 - 27
and do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.
Exodus Chapter 23: Verse 3
"Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.
Exodus Chapter 23: Verse 6
but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.
Exodus Chapter 23: Verse 11
" 'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.
Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus Chapter 19: Verses 9 - 10
" 'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
Leviticus Chapter 19: Verse 15
" 'If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his countryman has sold.
If, however, a man has no one to redeem it for him but he himself prospers and acquires sufficient means to redeem it,
he is to determine the value for the years since he sold it and refund the balance to the man to whom he sold it; he can then go back to his own property.
But if he does not acquire the means to repay him, what he sold will remain in the possession of the buyer until the Year of Jubilee. It will be returned in the Jubilee, and he can then go back to his property.
Leviticus Chapter 25: Verses 25 - 28
" 'If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you.
Do not take interest of any kind from him, but fear your God, so that your countryman may continue to live among you.
You must not lend him money at interest or sell him food at a profit.
Leviticus Chapter 25: Verses 35 - 37
" 'If one of your countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him work as a slave.
He is to be treated as a hired worker or a temporary resident among you; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee.
Then he and his children are to be released, and he will go back to his own clan and to the property of his forefathers.
Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves.
Do not rule over them ruthlessly, but fear your God.
Leviticus Chapter 25: Verses 39 - 43
At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns,
so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
Deuteronomy Chapter 14: Verses 28 - 29
This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD's time for canceling debts has been proclaimed.
You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your brother owes you.
However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you,
if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today.
For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.
If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.
Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.
Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: "The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near," so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin.
Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.
There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land. Freeing Servants
If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself to you and serves you six years, in the seventh year you must let him go free.
And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed.
Supply him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you.
Deuteronomy Chapter 15: Verses 2 - 14
If the man is poor, do not go to sleep with his pledge in your possession.
Return his cloak to him by sunset so that he may sleep in it. Then he will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the LORD your God.
Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns.
Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.
Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge.
Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.
When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow.
When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow.
Deuteronomy Chapter 24: Verses 12 - 21
When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.
Then say to the LORD your God: "I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them.
Deuteronomy Chapter 26: Verses 12 - 13
The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.
1 Samuel Chapter 2: Verse 7
Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers.
Some were saying, "We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain."
Others were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine."
Still others were saying, "We have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards.
Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others."
When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.
I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, "You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!" So I called together a large meeting to deal with them
and said: "As far as possible, we have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your brothers, only for them to be sold back to us!" They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.
So I continued, "What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?
I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop!
Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them,the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil."
"We will give it back," they said. "And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say." Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised.
I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, "In this way may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep this promise. So may such a man be shaken out and emptied!" At this the whole assembly said, "Amen," and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.
Nehemiah Chapter 5: Verses 1 - 13
Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
Nehemiah Chapter 8: Verse 10
Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.
Nehemiah Chapter 8: Verse 12
He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.
Job Chapter 5: Verse 15
For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute; he has seized houses he did not build.
"Surely he will have no respite from his craving; he cannot save himself by his treasure.
Nothing is left for him to devour; his prosperity will not endure.
Job Chapter 20: Verses 19 - 21
You demanded security from your brothers for no reason; you stripped men of their clothing, leaving them naked.
You gave no water to the weary and you withheld food from the hungry,
Job Chapter 22: Verses 6 - 7
And you sent widows away empty-handed and broke the strength of the fatherless.
That is why snares are all around you, why sudden peril terrifies you,
why it is so dark you cannot see, and why a flood of water covers you.
Job Chapter 22: Verses 9 - 11
They thrust the needy from the path and force all the poor of the land into hiding.
Job Chapter 24: Verse 4
Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked; they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.
They are drenched by mountain rains and hug the rocks for lack of shelter.
The fatherless child is snatched from the breast; the infant of the poor is seized for a debt.
Lacking clothes, they go about naked; they carry the sheaves, but still go hungry.
Job Chapter 24: Verses 7 - 10
Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me,
because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him.
The man who was dying blessed me; I made the widow's heart sing.
Job Chapter 29: Verses 11 - 13
I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame.
I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger.
Job Chapter 29: Verses 15 - 16
Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor?
Job Chapter 30: Verse 25
Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?
"If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,
if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless-
but from my youth I reared him as would a father, and from my birth I guided the widow-
if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a garment,
and his heart did not bless me for warming him with the fleece from my sheep,
if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in court,
then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint.
Job Chapter 31: Verses 15 - 22
Is he not the One who says to kings, 'You are worthless,' and to nobles, 'You are wicked,'
who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?
Job Chapter 34: Verses 18 - 19
They caused the cry of the poor to come before him, so that he heard the cry of the needy.
Job Chapter 34: Verse 28
He does not keep the wicked alive but gives the afflicted their rights.
Job Chapter 36: Verse 6
But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction.
Job Chapter 36: Verse 15
But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.
Psalms Chapter 9: Verse 18
In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.
Psalms Chapter 10: Verse 2
He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims.
He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength.
Psalms Chapter 10: Verses 8 - 10
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.
Psalms Chapter 10: Verse 14
"Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says the LORD. "I will protect them from those who malign them."
Psalms Chapter 12: Verse 5
You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge.
Psalms Chapter 14: Verse 6
This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
Psalms Chapter 34: Verse 6
My whole being will exclaim, "Who is like you, O LORD ? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them."
Psalms Chapter 35: Verse 10
The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.
Psalms Chapter 37: Verse 14
Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked;
Psalms Chapter 37: Verse 16
The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;
Psalms Chapter 37: Verse 21
They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.
Psalms Chapter 37: Verse 26
Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.
The LORD will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes.
The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness.
Psalms Chapter 41: Verses 1 - 3
Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, O God, you provided for the poor.
Psalms Chapter 68: Verse 10
The LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people.
Psalms Chapter 69: Verse 33
He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.
Psalms Chapter 72: Verse 2
He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.
Psalms Chapter 72: Verse 4
For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.
He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.
He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.
Psalms Chapter 72: Verses 12 - 14
Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name.
Psalms Chapter 74: Verse 21
Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
Psalms Chapter 82: Verses 3 - 4
He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.
Psalms Chapter 102: Verse 17
for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
Psalms Chapter 107: Verse 9
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.
Psalms Chapter 107: Verse 31
there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle.
Psalms Chapter 107: Verse 36
For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted.
Psalms Chapter 109: Verse 16
For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him.
Psalms Chapter 109: Verse 31
Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.
Psalms Chapter 112: Verses 4 - 5
He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.
Psalms Chapter 112: Verse 9
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
Psalms Chapter 113: Verse 7
I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor will I satisfy with food.
Psalms Chapter 132: Verse 15
I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.
Psalms Chapter 140: Verse 12
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
Psalms Chapter 146: Verse 5
He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free,
Psalms Chapter 146: Verse 7
The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor.
Proverbs Chapter 10: Verse 15
One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
A man's riches may ransom his life, but a poor man hears no threat.
Proverbs Chapter 13: Verses 7 - 8
A poor man's field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away.
Proverbs Chapter 13: Verse 23
The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.
He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.
Proverbs Chapter 14: Verses 20 - 21
He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
Proverbs Chapter 14: Verse 31
He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
Proverbs Chapter 17: Verse 5
A poor man pleads for mercy, but a rich man answers harshly.
Proverbs Chapter 18: Verse 23
Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse.
Proverbs Chapter 19: Verse 1
Wealth brings many friends, but a poor man's friend deserts him.
Proverbs Chapter 19: Verse 4
A poor man is shunned by all his relatives, how much more do his friends avoid him! Though he pursues them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found.
Proverbs Chapter 19: Verse 7
He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.
Proverbs Chapter 19: Verse 17
What a man desires is unfailing love ; better to be poor than a liar.
Proverbs Chapter 19: Verse 22
Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.
Proverbs Chapter 20: Verse 13
If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.
Proverbs Chapter 21: Verse 13
Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all.
Proverbs Chapter 22: Verse 2
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
Proverbs Chapter 22: Verse 7
A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.
Proverbs Chapter 22: Verse 9
Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court,
for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.
Proverbs Chapter 22: Verses 22 - 23
for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
Proverbs Chapter 23: Verse 21
A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.
Proverbs Chapter 28: Verse 3
Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse.
Proverbs Chapter 28: Verse 6
He who increases his wealth by exorbitant interest amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.
Proverbs Chapter 28: Verse 8
A rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him.
Proverbs Chapter 28: Verse 11
Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked man ruling over a helpless people.
Proverbs Chapter 28: Verse 15
He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.
Proverbs Chapter 28: Verse 19
He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.
Proverbs Chapter 28: Verse 27
The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.
Proverbs Chapter 29: Verse 7
The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives sight to the eyes of both.
If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will always be secure.
Proverbs Chapter 29: Verses 13 - 14
those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth, the needy from among mankind.
Proverbs Chapter 30: Verse 14
Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character
Proverbs Chapter 31: Verse 9
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
Proverbs Chapter 31: Verse 20
Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.
Ecclesiastes Chapter 4: Verse 6
Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take warning.
Ecclesiastes Chapter 4: Verse 13
If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still.
Ecclesiastes Chapter 5: Verse 8
What advantage has a wise man over a fool? What does a poor man gain by knowing how to conduct himself before others?
Ecclesiastes Chapter 6: Verse 8
Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.
So I said, "Wisdom is better than strength." But the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.
Ecclesiastes Chapter 9: Verses 15 - 16
learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
Isaiah Chapter 1: Verse 17
The LORD enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people: "It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses.
What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?" declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.
Isaiah Chapter 3: Verses 14 - 15
Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees,
to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.
Isaiah Chapter 10: Verses 1 - 2
but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Isaiah Chapter 11: Verse 4
The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety. But your root I will destroy by famine; it will slay your survivors.
Isaiah Chapter 14: Verse 30
What answer shall be given to the envoys of that nation? "The LORD has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge."
Isaiah Chapter 14: Verse 32
"Give us counsel, render a decision. Make your shadow like night, at high noon. Hide the fugitives, do not betray the refugees.
Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you; be their shelter from the destroyer." The oppressor will come to an end, and destruction will cease; the aggressor will vanish from the land.
Isaiah Chapter 16: Verses 3 - 4
You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall
Isaiah Chapter 25: Verse 4
Once more the humble will rejoice in the LORD; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah Chapter 29: Verse 19
For the fool speaks folly, his mind is busy with evil: He practices ungodliness and spreads error concerning the LORD; the hungry he leaves empty and from the thirsty he withholds water.
The scoundrel's methods are wicked, he makes up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just.
Isaiah Chapter 32: Verses 6 - 7
"The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
Isaiah Chapter 41: Verse 17
Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter, when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Isaiah Chapter 58: Verse 7
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
Isaiah Chapter 58: Verse 10
Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?" declares the LORD. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.
Isaiah Chapter 66: Verse 2
Sing to the LORD! Give praise to the LORD! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked.
Jeremiah Chapter 20: Verse 13
He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD.
Jeremiah Chapter 22: Verse 16
" 'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.
Ezekiel Chapter 16: Verse 49
He does not oppress anyone, but returns what he took in pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked.
Ezekiel Chapter 18: Verse 7
He oppresses the poor and needy. He commits robbery. He does not return what he took in pledge. He looks to the idols. He does detestable things.
Ezekiel Chapter 18: Verse 12
The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the alien, denying them justice.
Ezekiel Chapter 22: Verse 29
Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue." The Dream Is Fulfilled
Daniel Chapter 4: Verse 27
This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not turn back {my wrath}. They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals.
They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name.
They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. In the house of their god they drink wine taken as fines.
Amos Chapter 2: Verses 6 - 8
Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, "Bring us some drinks!"
The Sovereign LORD has sworn by his holiness: "The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks.
Amos Chapter 4: Verses 1 - 2
You trample on the poor and force him to give you grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine.
For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
Amos Chapter 5: Verses 11 - 12
Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land,
Amos Chapter 8: Verse 4
buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat.
Amos Chapter 8: Verse 6
With his own spear you pierced his head when his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as though about to devour the wretched who were in hiding.
Habakkuk Chapter 3: Verse 14
But I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of the LORD.
Zephaniah Chapter 3: Verse 12
Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.'
Zechariah Chapter 7: Verse 10
So I pastured the flock marked for slaughter, particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I pastured the flock.
Zechariah Chapter 11: Verse 7
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew Chapter 5: Verse 3
Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.Love for Enemies
Matthew Chapter 5: Verse 42
The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
Matthew Chapter 11: Verse 5
Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
Matthew Chapter 19: Verse 21
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
Matthew Chapter 25: Verses 35 - 36
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
Matthew Chapter 25: Verse 42
"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
Matthew Chapter 25: Verse 45
The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.
Matthew Chapter 26: Verse 11
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.
They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything,all she had to live on."
Mark Chapter 12: Verses 43 - 44
The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.
Mark Chapter 14: Verse 7
John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same."
Luke Chapter 3: Verse 11
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,
Luke Chapter 4: Verse 18
Looking at his disciples, he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Luke Chapter 6: Verse 20
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
Luke Chapter 6: Verse 35
But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.
Luke Chapter 11: Verse 41
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
Luke Chapter 12: Verse 33
Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.
But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."The Parable of the Great Banquet
Luke Chapter 14: Verses 12 - 14
At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores
and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.
Luke Chapter 16: Verses 20 - 22
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
Luke Chapter 18: Verse 22
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."
Luke Chapter 19: Verse 8
He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
John Chapter 12: Verse 6
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "
Acts Chapter 20: Verse 35
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is,his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans Chapter 12: Verse 2
if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.Love
Romans Chapter 12: Verse 8
Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Romans Chapter 12: Verse 13
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
1 Corinthians Chapter 13: Verse 3
Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do.
On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
1 Corinthians Chapter 16: Verses 1 - 2
sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
2 Corinthians Chapter 6: Verse 10
So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.Sowing Generously
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians Chapter 9: Verses 5 - 7
All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.Paul Opposes Peter
Galatians Chapter 2: Verse 10
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.Not Circumcision but a New Creation
Galatians Chapter 6: Verse 10
He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
Ephesians Chapter 4: Verse 28
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.
1 Timothy Chapter 1: Verse 16
No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband,
and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.
1 Timothy Chapter 5: Verses 9 - 10
Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
Hebrews Chapter 13: Verse 3
The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.
But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower.
James Chapter 1: Verses 9 - 10
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James Chapter 1: Verse 27
Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby 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 with evil thoughts?
Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?
But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?
Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.
But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
James Chapter 2: Verses 2 - 9
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?
James Chapter 2: Verses 15 - 16
Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.
James Chapter 5: Verse 4
If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence
1 John Chapter 3: Verses 17 - 19
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