68 Bible Verses about Poverty, Attitudes Towards

"If there should be a poor man among your relatives in one of the cities of the land that the LORD your God is about to give you, don't be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your poor relative. Instead, be sure to open your hand to him and lend him enough to lessen his need.

Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their maker, and whoever is happy about disaster will not go unpunished.

Supply the needs of the saints. Extend hospitality to strangers.

So then, whenever we have the opportunity, let's practice doing good to everyone, especially to the family of faith.

Suppose a brother or sister does not have any clothes or daily food and one of you tells them, "Go in peace! Stay warm and eat heartily." If you do not provide for their bodily needs, what good does it do?

Whoever has earthly possessions and notices a brother in need and yet withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God be present in him?

"You are not to pervert justice for the poor among you in their lawsuits.

"If your relative becomes so poor that he is indebted to you, then you are to support him. You are to let him live with you just like the resident alien and the traveler. You are not to take interest or profit from him. Instead, you are to fear your God and let your relative live with you. You are not to loan him money with interest or sell him your food at a profit.

Don't take advantage of a hired person who is poor and needy, whether he's your fellow citizen or a foreigner who lives in your city. Pay his wages that same day before the sun sets, because he is poor and his livelihood depends on it. Otherwise, he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will incur guilt."

Nathan approached David and said, "There are two men in the city. One is rich and one is poor. The rich man has many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing except for one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It used to share his food and drink from his own cup. It even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. A traveler arrived to visit the rich man. Because he was unwilling to take an animal from one of his own flocks or herds to prepare for the guest who had come to visit him, he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to visit him."

Why doesn't the Almighty reserve time for judgment? And why don't those who know him perceive his days? They move boundary stones, steal flocks, and pasture them. They drive away the orphan's donkey; they take the ox of the widow as security for a loan;read more.
They push the needy off the road, and force the poor of the land into hiding.

Don't rob the poor person because he is poor, and don't crush the helpless in court,

The righteous person is concerned about the poor; but the wicked don't understand what they need to know.

"Listen to this message from the LORD, king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David you, your officials, and your people who enter these gates. This is what the LORD says: "Uphold justice and righteousness. Deliver from their oppressor those who have been robbed. Don't mistreat or do violence to the alien, the orphan, or the widow, or shed the blood of innocent people in this place.

"Now suppose that person produces a son who's violent, a murderer, and practices any of these things, even though the father hasn't done any of these things. The son who eats at mountain shrines, defiles his neighbor's wife, oppresses the afflicted and the poor, robs others, doesn't return security for a debt, looks to idols, does detestable things, read more.
loans with usury, and exacts interest; will he live? He certainly will not! He has done all these detestable practices. He will certainly die, and his guilt will be his own fault."

This is what the LORD says: "For three transgressions of Israel and now for a fourth I will not turn away; because they sold the righteous for money, and the poor for sandals, moving quickly to rub the face of the needy in the dirt. Corrupting the ways of the humble, a man and his father go to the same woman, deliberately defiling my holy name.

You are not to wrong the widow, orphans, the foreigner, or the poor, and you are not to plan evil against each other.

Suppose a man wearing gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in. If you give special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Please take this seat," but you say to the poor man, "Stand over there" or "Sit on the floor at my feet," then you will have made false distinctions among yourselves and will have judged from evil motives, will you not?

Every third year, bring all the tithes of your produce of that year and store it in your cities so the descendants of Levi who have no tribal allotment as you do foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in your cities may come, eat, and be satisfied. That way, the LORD your God shall bless you in everything you do."

but you are to let it rest the seventh year, leaving it unplanted. The poor of your people may eat from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. You are to do the same with your vineyards and olive groves.

"When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to completely finish harvesting the corners of the field that is, you are not to pick what remains after you have reaped your harvest. You are not to gather your vineyard or pick up the fallen grapes of your vineyard. Leave something for the poor and the resident alien who lives among you. I am the LORD your God."

You are not to gather what grows from the spilled kernels of your crops. You are not to pick the grapes of your untrimmed vines. Let it be a year of Sabbath for the land. You may take the Sabbath produce of the land for your food you, your male and maid servants, your hired laborers, and the resident alien with you.

Whoever is kind to the poor is lending to the LORD the benefit of his gift will return to him in abundance.

"Defend the poor and the fatherless. Vindicate the afflicted and the poor. Rescue the poor and the needy, delivering them from the power of the wicked.

"When people heard me speak, they blessed me; when people saw me, they approved me, because I delivered the poor who were crying for help, along with orphans who had no one to help them. Those who were about to die blessed me, and I made widows sing for joy.read more.
I put on righteousness like clothing; my just decisions were like a robe and a turban. I served as eyes for the blind and feet for the lame. I was a father to the needy; I diligently inquired into the case of those I didn't know. I broke the fangs of the wicked, and made him drop the prey."

He answered them, "The person who has two coats must share with the one who doesn't have any, and the person who has food must do the same."

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was known for her good actions and acts of charity that she was always doing.

Be careful not to think this wicked thought to yourselves: "The seventh year, the year of remission, is drawing near,' and you show ill will toward your poor relative and not give to him. He may then call to the LORD on account of you, and you will be guilty of sin. You must certainly give to him and not feel regret for doing so. Because of this, the LORD your God will bless all your works and everything you do. Since poor people won't cease to exist in the land, therefore I'm commanding you: Be sure to be generous to your poor and needy relatives in your land."

so the descendants of Levi who have no tribal allotment as you do foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in your cities may come, eat, and be satisfied. That way, the LORD your God shall bless you in everything you do."

At lunchtime, Boaz invited her, "Come on over, have some food, and dip your bread in our oil and vinegar." So she sat down beside the harvesters, and he handed her some roasted grain, which she ate until she was satisfied. She kept what was left over.

He gives generously to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor.

Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left in the land of Judah some of the poor people who did not have anything, and he gave them vineyards and fields on that day.

Later, Zacchaeus stood up and announced to the Lord, "Look! I'm giving half of my possessions to the destitute, and if I have accused anyone falsely, I'm repaying four times as much as I owe."

He was a devout man who feared God, as did everyone in his home. He gave many gifts to the poor among the people and always prayed to God.

Each of you must give what you have decided in your heart, not with regret or under compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver.

So whenever you give to the poor, don't blow a trumpet before you like the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they will be praised by people. I tell all of you with certainty, they have their full reward!

Then Jesus called his disciples and said, "I have compassion for the crowd because they have already been with me for three days and have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them away without food, or they may faint on the road."

At that time, after a large crowd again had gathered together with nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples and told them, "I have compassion for the crowd, because they've already been with me for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away to their homes hungry, they'll faint on the road. Some of them have come a long distance."

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has anointed me to tell the good news to the poor. He has sent me to announce release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set oppressed people free, and to announce the year of the Lord's favor."

Some thought that, since Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him to buy what they needed for the festival or to give something to the destitute.

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, he went around doing good and healing everyone who was oppressed by the devil.

All the believers were united and shared everything with one another. They made it their practice to sell their possessions and goods and to distribute the proceeds to anyone who was in need.

Now all the believers were one in heart and soul, and nobody called any of his possessions his own. Instead, they shared everything they owned. With great power, the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was on them all, since none of them needed anything, because everyone who had land or houses would sell them and bring the money received for the things sold read more.
and lay it at the apostles' feet. Then it was distributed to anyone who needed it.

So all of the disciples decided they would send a contribution to the brothers living in Judea, as they were able, by sending it through Barnabas and Saul to the elders.

In every way I showed you that by working hard like this we should help the weak and remember the words that the Lord Jesus himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

After many years, I have come back to my people to bring gifts for the poor and to offer sacrifices.

Right now, however, I'm going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints, because the believers in Macedonia and Achaia have been eager to share their resources with the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they were eager to do this, and in fact they are obligated to help them, for if the gentiles have shared in their spiritual blessings, they are obligated to be of service to them in material things.

Not that others should have relief while you have hardship. Rather, it is a question of fairness. At the present time, your surplus fills their need, so that their surplus may fill your need. In this way things are fair. As it is written, "The person who had much did not have too much, and the person who had little did not have too little."

The only thing they asked us to do was to remember the destitute, the very thing I was eager to do.

Blessed is the one who is considerate of the destitute; the LORD will deliver him when the times are evil.

Whoever gives to the poor will never lack, but whoever shuts his eyes to their poverty will be cursed.

Jesus told him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell what you own and give the money to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me."

"Then the king will say to those on his right, "Come, you who have been blessed by my Father! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, because 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 welcomed me. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'

I tell all of you with certainty, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to the Messiah will never lose his reward."

Do not neglect to do good and to be generous, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.

He executes justice for the orphan and the widows, loves the foreigner, and gives them food and clothing."

But you do see! You take note of trouble and grief in order to take the matter into your own hand. The helpless one commits himself to you; you have been the orphan's helper.

The LORD stands guard over the stranger; he supports both widows and orphans, but makes the path of the wicked slippery.

Don't move ancient boundaries or invade fields belonging to orphans;

to deprive the needy of justice and to rob the poor of my people of their rights, so that widows may become their spoil and so that they may plunder orphans!

Rejoice in the presence of the LORD your God with your son, daughter, male and female slaves, the descendants of Levi who is in your city, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow among you, at the place where the LORD your God will choose to establish his name.

Boaz continued, "On the very day you buy the field from Naomi, you're also "buying" Ruth the Moabite woman, the wife of her dead husband, so the family name may be continued as an inheritance."

Now there happened to be a certain woman who had been the wife of a member of the Guild of Prophets. She cried out to Elisha, "My husband who served you has died, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. But a creditor has come to take away my children into indentured servitude!"

You sent away widows empty-handed, and broke the outstretched arms of orphans.

"I'll come near to you for judgment. I'll be a witness, quick to speak against sorcerers, against adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who defraud the laborer of his wage, against those who defraud the widow and the orphan, against those who deprive the alien of justice, and against those who don't fear me," says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

In those days, as the number of the disciples was growing larger and larger, a complaint was made by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.

Honor widows who have no other family members to care for them.

A religion that is pure and stainless according to God the Father is this: to take care of orphans and widows who are suffering, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.