After them, seven other cows came up – scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt.

Seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt.

‘If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest.

“If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him.

and do not show favouritism to a poor person in a lawsuit.

nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit.

‘Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.

“You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit.

but during the seventh year let the land lie unploughed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the beasts of the field may eat. You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard.

The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less when you make the offering to the  Lord to atone for your lives.

The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the  Lord’s offering to make atonement for your lives.

‘If, however, they are poor and cannot afford these, they must take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for them, together with a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log of oil,

“But if he is poor and cannot afford so much, then he shall take one male lamb for a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and a log of oil;

Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the  Lord your God.

And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the  Lord your God.

‘“Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favouritism to the great, but judge your neighbour fairly.

“You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.

‘“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. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the  Lord your God.”’

“And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the  Lord your God.”

‘“If one of your fellow Israelites becomes poor and sells some of their property, their nearest relative is to come and redeem what they have sold.

“If your brother becomes poor and sells part of his property then his nearest redeemer shall come and redeem what his brother has sold.

‘“If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so that they can continue to live among you.

“If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you.

‘“If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to you, do not make them work as slaves.

“If your brother becomes poor beside you and sells himself to you, you shall not make him serve as a slave:

‘“If a foreigner residing among you becomes rich and any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to the foreigner or to a member of the foreigner’s clan,

“If a stranger or sojourner with you becomes rich, and your brother beside him becomes poor and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner with you or to a member of the stranger’s clan,

If anyone making the vow is too poor to pay the specified amount, the person being dedicated is to be presented to the priest, who will set the value according to what the one making the vow can afford.

And if someone is too poor to pay the valuation, then he shall be made to stand before the priest, and the priest shall value him; the priest shall value him according to what the vower can afford.

(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)

Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.

However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the  Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you,

But there will be no poor among you; for the  Lord will bless you in the land that the  Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess—

If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land that the  Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted towards them.

“If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the  Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother,

Be careful not to harbour this wicked thought: ‘The seventh year, the year for cancelling debts, is near,’ so that you do not show ill will towards the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the  Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin.

Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the  Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin.

There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be open-handed towards your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.

For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

If the neighbour is poor, do not go to sleep with their pledge in your possession.

And if he is a poor man, you shall not sleep in his pledge.

Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.

“You shall not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns.

Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor and are counting on it. Otherwise they may cry to the  Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it), lest he cry against you to the  Lord, and you be guilty of sin.

‘Pardon me, my lord,’ Gideon replied, ‘but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.’

And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

‘The  Lord bless you, my daughter,’ he replied. ‘This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.

And he said, “May you be blessed by the  Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.

He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
and makes them inherit a throne of honour.
‘For the foundations of the earth are the  Lord’s;
on them he has set the world.

He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap
to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the  Lord’s,
and on them he has set the world.

They repeated these words to David. But David said, ‘Do you think it is a small matter to become the king’s son-in-law? I’m only a poor man and little known.’

And Saul’s servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said, “Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king’s son-in-law, since I am a poor man and have no reputation?”

The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker.

The  Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, ‘There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor.

And the  Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor.

but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him.

‘Now a traveller came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveller who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.’

Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”

He asked Amnon, ‘Why do you, the king’s son, look so haggard morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?’

Amnon said to him, ‘I’m in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.’

And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”

You save the humble,
but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.

You save a humble people,
but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.

He carried all Jerusalem into exile: all the officers and fighting men, and all the skilled workers and artisans – a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest people of the land were left.

He carried away all Jerusalem and all the officials and all the mighty men of valor 10,000 captives and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land.

But the commander left behind some of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.

as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote to them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth;
he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.

But he saves the needy from the sword of their mouth
and from the hand of the mighty.

So the poor have hope,
and injustice shuts its mouth.

So the poor have hope,
and injustice shuts her mouth.

His children must make amends to the poor;
his own hands must give back his wealth.

His children will seek the favor of the poor,
and his hands will give back his wealth.

For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute;
he has seized houses he did not build.

For he has crushed and abandoned the poor;
he has seized a house that he did not build.

They thrust the needy from the path
and force all the poor of the land into hiding.

They thrust the poor off the road;
the poor of the earth all hide themselves.

The fatherless child is snatched from the breast;
the infant of the poor is seized for a debt.

(There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast,
and they take a pledge against the poor.)

When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up,
kills the poor and needy,
and in the night steals forth like a thief.

The murderer rises before it is light,
that he may kill the poor and needy,
and in the night he is like a thief.

because I rescued the poor who cried for help,
and the fatherless who had none to assist them.

because I delivered the poor who cried for help,
and the fatherless who had none to help him.

I was a father to the needy;
I took up the case of the stranger.

I was a father to the needy,
and I searched out the cause of him whom I did not know.

Have I not wept for those in trouble?
Has not my soul grieved for the poor?

Did not I weep for him whose day was hard?
Was not my soul grieved for the needy?

‘If I have denied the desires of the poor
or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,

“If I have withheld anything that the poor desired,
or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,
or the needy without garments,

if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
or the needy without covering,

who shows no partiality to princes
and does not favour the rich over the poor,
for they are all the work of his hands?

who shows no partiality to princes,
nor regards the rich more than the poor,
for they are all the work of his hands?

They caused the cry of the poor to come before him,
so that he heard the cry of the needy.

so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him,
and he heard the cry of the afflicted—

He does not keep the wicked alive
but gives the afflicted their rights.

He does not keep the wicked alive,
but gives the afflicted their right.

But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering;
he speaks to them in their affliction.

He delivers the afflicted by their affliction
and opens their ear by adversity.

For he who avenges blood remembers;
he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.

For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

But God will never forget the needy;
the hope of the afflicted will never perish.

For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.

In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.

like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;
he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.

he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket;
he lurks that he may seize the poor;
he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.

Arise,  Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.

Arise, O  Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
forget not the afflicted.

You,  Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

O  Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

‘Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan,
I will now arise,’ says the  Lord.
‘I will protect them from those who malign them.’

“Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
I will now arise,” says the  Lord;
“I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”

You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
but the  Lord is their refuge.

You would shame the plans of the poor,
but the  Lord is his refuge.