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PoorCommanded not to oppress the poor
You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless. (Exodus 22:21-24)
So that he causeth the cry of the poor to come unto him, and he heareth the cry of the afflicted. (Job 34:28)
A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food. (Proverbs 28:3)
Wicked oppress the poor
The fool will speak foolishness, And his heart will devise iniquity: To practice hypocrisy, And to utter error against the Lord, To empty the hungry soul, And to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. Also the instruments of the churl are evil: He deviseth wicked devices to destroy the meek with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right. (Isaiah 32:6-7)
Description of people oppressing the poor
As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people. (Proverbs 28:15)
There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men. (Proverbs 30:14)
Judgement on those who oppress the poor
His children shall seek to please the poor, and his hands shall restore their goods. (Job 20:10)
He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly. (Job 20:15)
That which he laboured for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down: according to his substance shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice therein. Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; because he hath violently taken away an house which he builded not; Surely he shall feel no quietness in his belly; he shall not save of that which he desired. (Job 20:18-20)
All darkness shall be hid in his secret places: a fire not blown shall consume him; it shall go ill with that is left of his tabernacle. (Job 20:26)
The increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath. (Job 20:28)
The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. (Psalm 37:14-15)
Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour. (Psalm 109:11)
Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart. (Psalm 109:16)
He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want. (Proverbs 22:16)
Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate: For the Lord will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them. (Proverbs 22:22-23)
The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord God of hosts. (Isaiah 3:14-15)
Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless! (Isaiah 10:1-2)
Thus saith the Lord; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, And say, Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, that sittest upon thy throne; thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates: Thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings that sit upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people. But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation. (Jeremiah 22:1-5)
In thee have they set light by father and mother: in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow. (Ezekiel 22:7)
The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. (Ezekiel 22:29)
Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes; That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the afflicted: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name: (Amos 2:6-7)
Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink. The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks. (Amos 4:1-2)
That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress. They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly. Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them. For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right. (Amos 5:9-12)
Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat? making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat? (Amos 8:4-6)
Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 7:9-12)
And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:5)
Request for the Lord to judge oppression of the poor
Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud. (Psalm 94:2)
They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. (Psalm 94:6)
Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. (Psalm 94:7)
Example of oppressing the poor
Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these. (Jeremiah 2:34)
Religious people oppressing the poor
And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and salute in the marketplaces, And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation. (Mark 12:38-40)
Beware of the scribes, which desire to go in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation. (Luke 20:46-47)
Oppressing the poor is common
If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and the violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they. (Ecclesiastes 5:8)
Defend/help the poor/helpless
Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. (Proverbs 31:8-9)
Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. (Isaiah 1:17)
O house of David, thus saith the Lord; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. (Jeremiah 21:12)
Godly people help the poor
The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked understandeth not. (Proverbs 29:7)
Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? did not my soul grieve for the poor? (Job 30:25)
Lord blesses those who help the poor
Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. (Psalm 41:1-3)
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again. (Proverbs 19:17)
Blesses leader who helped the poor
The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established for ever. (Proverbs 29:14)
For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour; If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever. Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not? (Jeremiah 7:5-9)
Feed the poor and the Lord will repay
Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. (Luke 14:12-23)
Judge the poor fairly
Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause. (Exodus 23:6)
Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow's raiment to pledge: (Deuteronomy 24:17)
Show mercy to the poor
That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots, thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule. Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity. (Daniel 4:25-27)
Those who do not defend the poor will be judged
As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? (Jeremiah 5:27-29)
Sin of Sodom, not helping the poor
Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, Pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. (Ezekiel 16:49)
Example of leader who did not defend poor
Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. (Isaiah 1:23)
How we treat the poor reflects upon the Lord
He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor. (Proverbs 14:31)
Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished. (Proverbs 17:5)
God’s part with the poor
Lord provides for/protects the poor and needy
He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. (Deuteronomy 10:18)
But he saveth the poor from the sword of their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty. (Job 5:15)
For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever. (Psalm 9:18)
Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless. (Psalm 10:14)
For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. (Psalm 12:5)
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. (Psalm 34:6)
All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him? (Psalm 35:10)
But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God. (Psalm 40:17)
A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. (Psalm 68:6)
Thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor. (Psalm 68:10)
For the Lord heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners. (Psalm 69:33)
He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer. (Psalm 102:17)
They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. (Psalm 107:4)
For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul. (Psalm 109:31)
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; (Psalm 113:7)
I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread. (Psalm 132:15)
I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor. (Psalm 140:12)
Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. (Psalm 146:7)
The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down. (Psalm 146:9)
The Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground. (Psalm 147:6)
The Lord will destroy the house of the proud: but he will establish the border of the widow. (Proverbs 15:25)
But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the wicked with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay him. (Isaiah 11:4)
And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant. (Isaiah 14:30)
For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. (Isaiah 25:4)
When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. (Isaiah 41:17)
Sing unto the Lord, praise ye the Lord: for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evil doers. (Jeremiah 20:13)
Prayer for Lord to help the poor
He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. And he shall live, and of the gold of Sheba shall be given him: prayer also shall be made for him continually, and daily shall he be praised. (Psalm 72:4, 10, 12-15)
O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name. (Psalm 74:21)
Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked. (Psalm 82:3-4)
But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy name's sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. (Psalm 109:21-22)
Humanity’s view of God’s part and the poor
Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof. They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge. They turn aside the needy from the way: the poor of the earth hide themselves together. Behold, as wild asses in the desert, go they forth to their work; rising betimes for a prey: the wilderness yieldeth food for them and for their children. They reap every one his corn in the field: and they glean the vintage of the wicked. They cause the naked to lodge without clothing, that they have no covering in the cold. They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for want of a shelter. They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor. They cause him to go naked that hath no clothing, and they take away the sheaf from the hungry; Which drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their God. He being a widow's son, is taken away from the breast, and the poor fatherless one is exacted of them. They thrust away the needy from the way: the poor of the earth hide themselves together. The murderer rising with the light killeth the poor and needy, and in the night is as a thief. (Job 24:2-12, 14)
God’s perspective of the poor
I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. (Revelation 2:9)
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. (Revelation 3:17-18)
Lord chose weak to shame the strong
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; (1 Corinthians 1:26-27)
Lord made all people
The rich and the poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them all. (Proverbs 22:2)
The poor and the deceitful man meet together: the Lord lighteneth both their eyes. (Proverbs 29:13)
Humanity’s perspective of poor
For what hath the wise more than a fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth how to walk before the living? (Ecclesiastes 6:8)
Problems and benefits for poor
Problems for the poor
Poor have few friends
The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends. (Proverbs 14:20)
Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour. (Proverbs 19:4)
All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him. (Proverbs 19:7)
Poor suffer injustice
Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment. (Proverbs 13:23)
Poor relate to rich meekly
The poor useth entreaties; but the rich answereth roughly. (Proverbs 18:23)
Poor serve rich
The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. (Proverbs 22:7)
Poor are ignored
There was a little city, and few men within it: and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. (Ecclesiastes 9:14-16)
Poverty
The rich man's wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty. (Proverbs 10:15)
Prayer not to be poor
Two things have I required of thee; deny me not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. (Proverbs 30:7-9)
Benefits for poor
Poor are called blessed
Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. (Luke 6:20)
But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. (Luke 6:24)
Poor are rich in faith
Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? (James 2:5)
Gospel is preached to the poor
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; (Isaiah 61:1)
Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. (Matthew 11:2-5)
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, (Luke 4:18)
Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. (Luke 7:22)
Poor will not be kidnapped for riches
The ransom of a man's life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke. (Proverbs 13:8)
Poor who know the Lord will be comforted in heaven
There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. (Luke 16:19-25)
Poor can glory as children of God
Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. (James 1:9-10)
During restoration of Israel, poor will benefit
The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 29:19)
Poor, but wise, understand the rich
The rich man is wise in his own eyes; but the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out. (Proverbs 28:11)
Things poverty better than
Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool. (Proverbs 19:1)
The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar. (Proverbs 19:22)
Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich. (Proverbs 28:6)
Examples of poor
And Saul's servants spake these words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king's son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed? (1 Samuel 18:23)
But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O Lord, make no tarrying. (Psalm 70:5)
Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy. (Psalm 86:1)
The adversaries have spread out their hand upon all her pleasant things: for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command that they should not enter into it. (Lamentations 1:11)
And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. (Luke 2:22-24)
Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled we bless; being persecuted we suffer it: (1 Corinthians 4:11-12)
But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. (2 Corinthians 6:4-5, 10)
In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. (2 Corinthians 11:27)
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction. (Philippians 4:11-14)
Poor/rich in church
For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. (1 Corinthians 11:18-22)
Giving to the poor
Return of land
A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field. In the year of this jubile every man shall return unto his possession. (Leviticus 25:11-13)
Laws regarding poor becoming slaves
And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant: But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, shall he be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of the jubile: And then shall he depart from thee, both he, and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return. For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen. Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear thy God. Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they beget in your land: and they shall be your possession. And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen. But as for your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour. And if a sojourner of thine, or a stranger that dwelleth by thee, be waxen rich, and thy brother that dwelleth by him be waxen poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger's family: After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him: Either his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he may redeem himself. And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he was sold to him unto the year of the jubile: and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years, according to the time of an hired servant shall it be with him. If there be yet many years behind, according unto them he shall give again the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for. And if there remain but a few years unto the year of jubile, then he shall reckon with him, and according unto his years shall he give him again the price of his redemption. As a yearly hired servant shall he be with him: and the other shall not rule with rigour over him in thy sight. And if he be not redeemed in these years, then he shall go out in the year of jubile, both he, and his children with him. (Leviticus 25:39-54)
Not obeying laws resulted in judgement
Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying, At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear. And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name: But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids. (Jeremiah 34:13-17)
Miscellaneous
Things that make a person poor
Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured. (Proverbs 13:18)
Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread. (Proverbs 20:13)
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again. (Proverbs 21:17)
Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. (Proverbs 23:20-21)
No poor in land if people fully obeyed
There shall be no poor among you; for the Lord shall greatly bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it: Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day. (Deuteronomy 15:4-5)
Only poor left in defeated land
And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land. (2 Kings 24:14)
But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen. (2 Kings 25:12)
But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time. (Jeremiah 39:10)
Now when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, having committed unto him the charge of the men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon; (Jeremiah 40:7)
And the captain of the guard carried away captive certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, and the residue of the multitude. (Jeremiah 52:15)