17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,(A)
    and he will reward them for what they have done.(B)

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13 Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor
    will also cry out(A) and not be answered.(B)

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The generous will themselves be blessed,(A)
    for they share their food with the poor.(B)

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14 Like clouds and wind without rain
    is one who boasts of gifts never given.

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27 Those who give to the poor will lack nothing,(A)
    but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.(B)

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23 An unplowed field produces food for the poor,
    but injustice sweeps it away.

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31 Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,(A)
    but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.(B)

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15 All the days of the oppressed are wretched,
    but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.(A)

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Better a little with righteousness
    than much gain(A) with injustice.(B)

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16 One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth
    and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.

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Saying 2

22 Do not exploit the poor(A) because they are poor
    and do not crush the needy in court,(B)
23 for the Lord will take up their case(C)
    and will exact life for life.(D)

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The righteous care about justice for the poor,(A)
    but the wicked have no such concern.

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13 The poor and the oppressor have this in common:
    The Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.(A)

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Go to the ant, you sluggard;(A)
    consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
    no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer(B)
    and gathers its food at harvest.(C)

How long will you lie there, you sluggard?(D)
    When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest(E)
11 and poverty(F) will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.

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Lazy hands make for poverty,(A)
    but diligent hands bring wealth.(B)

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He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son,
    but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.(A)

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26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke(A) to the eyes,
    so are sluggards to those who send them.(B)

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11 Those who work their land will have abundant food,
    but those who chase fantasies have no sense.(A)

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24 Diligent hands will rule,
    but laziness ends in forced labor.(A)

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27 The lazy do not roast[a] any game,
    but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:27 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

A sluggard’s appetite is never filled,(A)
    but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

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Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty,
    but from the strength of an ox(A) come abundant harvests.

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23 All hard work brings a profit,
    but mere talk leads only to poverty.

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19 The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns,(A)
    but the path of the upright is a highway.

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26 The appetite of laborers works for them;
    their hunger drives them on.

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