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Many people want an important person to like them.
    Everyone wants to be the friend of someone who gives lots of gifts.
If someone is poor, all his family hate him.
    His friends stay away from him.
Even if he goes to ask them for help,
    he cannot find them anywhere.
If you learn to be wise,
    it shows that you love yourself.
If you understand what is right,
    you will do well.

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Many curry favor with a ruler,(A)
    and everyone is the friend of one who gives gifts.(B)

The poor are shunned by all their relatives—
    how much more do their friends avoid them!(C)
Though the poor pursue them with pleading,
    they are nowhere to be found.[a](D)

The one who gets wisdom loves life;
    the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.