When there cometh to be among you a needy person any one of thy brethren within any one of thy gates, in thy land, which Yahweh thy God is giving unto thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart nor shut thy hand from thy needy brother;

The blessing of him that was ready to perish, upon me was wont to descend, and, the heart of the widow, caused I to sing for joy;

If I withheld - from pleasure - the poor, or, the eyes of the widow, I dimmed;

Well for a man showing favour and lending! He shall sustain his affairs with justice.

Honour thou Yahweh, with thy substance, and with the firstfruit of all thine increase;

There is who scattereth, and increaseth yet more, and who withholdeth of what is due, only to come to want.

He that sheweth contempt for his neighbour, sinneth, but, he that sheweth favour to the afflicted, how happy is he!

A lender to Yahweh, is one who sheweth favour to the poor, and, his good deed, He will pay him back.

A benevolent eye, the same, shall be blessed, - because he hath given of his bread to the poor.

Cast thy bread-corn, upon the face of the waters, - for, after many days, shalt thou find it:

Is it not to break unto the hungry, thy bread, And the thrust-out oppressed, that thou bring into a home, - When thou seest one naked, that thou cover him, And from thine own flesh, shalt not hide thyself?

And no man, hath treated with violence, But his debt-pledge, hath restored. Plunder, hath not seized, - His bread - to the famished, hath given, And the naked, hath covered with clothing;

Wherefore, O king, let, my counsel, be pleasing unto thee, thy sin, then, - by righteousness, break thou off, and, thine iniquities, by shewing favour to the oppressed, - if so be it may become the lengthening out of thy security.

He hath told thee, O son of earth, what is good, - what then is, Yahweh, seeking of thee, but, to do justice, to delight in lovingkindness, and humbly to walk with thy God?

For, always, have ye, the destitute, with you, and whensoever ye please, ye can, unto them, at any timedo well! But, me, not, always, have ye.

Notwithstanding, as to the things within, give alms, and lo! everything, is, pure unto you.

Moreover he went on to say, unto him also who had invited him, - Whensoever thou mayest be making a dinner or a supper, do not call thy friends, or thy brothers, or thy kinsfolk, or rich neighbours, - lest once, they also, invite thee in return, and it become a recompense unto thee.

For, some, were thinking, since Judas held the bag, that Jesus was saying to him - Buy the things of which we have, need, for the feast; or that, unto the destitute, he should give something.

And, the throng of them that believed, had one heart and soul, and not so much as one was saying that, aught of his goods, was, his own, but they had all things common.

Now, in Joppa, there was a certain female disciple, by name Tabitha, which, being translated, means Dorcas a Gazelle . The same, was full of good works and alms which she was doing.

And saith - Cornelius! thy prayer hath been heard, and, thine alms, have been remembered before God.

And, according as any one of the disciples was being prospered, they each one of them set apart something for ministering, to send unto the brethren, who dwelt in Jerusalem; -

Moreover we make known unto you, brethren, the favour of God which hath been given in the assemblies of Macedonia, -

Each one, according as he hath purposed in his heart, not sorrowfully, nor of necessity, - for, a cheerful giver, God, loveth.

Let, the stealer, no more, steal, but rather let him be toiling, - working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have wherewith to be giving away to him that hath need;

Upon them who are rich in the present age, lay thou charge - not to be high-minded, nor to have set their hope on, riches', uncertainty, - but on God, who offereth us all things richly for enjoying,

For, much joy, have I had, and encouragement, by occasion of thy love, in that, the tender affections of the saints, have had rest given them by thee, brother.

For, not unrighteous, is God, to be forgetful of your work and of the love which ye have shewn forth for his name, in that ye have ministered unto the saints, and are ministering,

But, of the doing good and of fellowship, be not forgetful; for, with such sacrifices as these, is, God, well-pleased.

Religious observance, pure and undefiled with our God and Father, is, this - to be visiting orphans and widows in their affliction, unspotted, to keep, himself, from the world.

Showing hospitality one to another without murmuring, -

Hereby, have we come to understand love: in that, He, for us, his life laid down; and, we, ought, for the brethren, our lives to lay down.

Thirsty

For I hungered, and ye gave me not to eat, and I was thirsty, and ye gave me not to drink,

If he that hateth thee hunger, give him bread to eat, and, if he be thirsty, give him water to drink;

But - if thine enemy hunger, be feeding him, if he thirst, be giving him drink; for, this doing, coals of fire, shalt thou heap upon his head.

I was a

A stranger, was I, and ye took me not home, naked, and ye clothed me not, sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and lo! three men, standing over against him, - so he looked and ran to meet them from the opening of the tent, and bowed himself to the earth;

So the two messengers went in towards Sodom at eventide, Lot, being seated in the gate of Sodom, - so Lot beheld and rose up to meet them, and bowed himself with his face to the earth.

And, when she was immersed, and her house, she besought us , saying - If ye have judged me to be a believer in the Lord, come into my house, and abide there . And she constrained us.

With the needs of the saints, having fellowship, - hospitality, pursuing.

There saluteth you - Gaius, my host and the host of the whole assembly. There salute you - Erastus, the steward of the city, and Quartus the brother.

In noble works, being well-attested; - if she hath nourished children, if she hath shewn hospitality, if, saints feet, she hath washed, if, them who were in tribulation, she hath succoured, if, in every good, work she hath followed on:

Let brotherly love continue.

Showing hospitality one to another without murmuring, -

General references

To him who is asking thee, give; and, him who is desiring from thee to borrow, do not thou turn away.

For I hungered, and ye gave me not to eat, and I was thirsty, and ye gave me not to drink,

If, a brother or sister, should be naked, and coming short of the daily food,