55 Bible Verses about Poverty, Causes Of

And to Adam He said, Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it! The ground is cursed for your sake. In pain shall you eat of it all the days of your life. It shall also bring forth thorns and thistles to you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.

And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food. The tree of life also was in the middle of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden. And from there it was divided and became four heads. The name of the first is Pishon; that is it which surrounds all the land of Havilah, where there is gold.read more.
And the gold of that land is good. There is bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one that surrounds the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is Tigris; it is that which goes toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

Because you did not serve Jehovah your God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things; therefore you shall serve your enemies which Jehovah shall send against you, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in the lack of all things. And he shall put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you.

He who crushes the poor to multiply for himself, and he who gives to the rich, only to come to poverty.

For behold, the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread and the whole stay of water,

And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, and you have not returned to Me, says Jehovah.

So, because of your trampling on the poor, and you take tribute of grain from him; you have built houses of carved stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted desirable vineyards, but you shall not drink wine from them.

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to lie down; so shall your poverty come as one who travels, and your need like an armed man.

He who deals with a lazy hand becomes poor; but the hand of the hard worker makes rich.

In all labor there is gain, but the talk of the lips tends only to poverty.

Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes and you shall be satisfied with bread.

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to lie down; then your poverty comes stalking, and your want like a man armed with a shield.

He who loves pleasure shall be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil shall not be rich.

For by means of a harlot a man comes to a piece of bread; and another man's wife will hunt for the precious life.

He who tills his land shall have plenty of bread, but he pursuing vanities shall have poverty enough.

And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land. And he began to be in want.

Poverty and shame shall be to him who refuses instruction, but he who listens to correction shall be honored.

The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenty; but the thoughts of everyone who is hasty only to poverty.

Be not one of those who strike hands, of those who are sureties for debts. If you have nothing to pay, why should he take away your bed from under you?

Therefore the kingdom of Heaven has been compared to a certain king who desired to make an accounting with his servants. And when he had begun to count, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he had nothing to pay, his lord commanded that he, and his wife and children, and all that he had, be sold, and payment be made.

There is one who scatters and yet increases; but one who withholds just due comes only to poverty.

He who hastens to be rich has an evil eye, and does not know that poverty will come upon him.

I have shown you all things, that working in this way we ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

You looked for much, and behold, little! And when you brought it home, then I blew on it. Why, says Jehovah of Hosts? Because of My House that is waste, and you, each man runs to his own house.

And Israel was made very poor because of the Midianites. And the sons of Israel cried to Jehovah.

For he pressed down and forsook the poor; he stole a house, but he had not built it.

Much food is in the plowed ground of the poor, but when there is no justice, it is swept away.

Your land is wasted, your cities burned with fire. Strangers devour your land right before your eyes, and it is wasted, as overthrown by strangers.

Behold, the hire of the laborers reaping your fields cry out, being kept back by you. And the cries of those who have reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of hosts.

And I will nourish you there, for there are still five years of famine, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty.

And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them and the land became Pharaoh's. And as for the people, he caused them to go into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end of it.

And a day came when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house. And there came a messenger to Job and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them. And the Sabeans fell on and took them away. Yea, they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword. And I only have escaped alone to tell you.read more.
While he was still speaking, there also came another and said, The fire of God has fallen from the heavens and has burned up the sheep and the servants, and destroyed them. And I only have escaped alone to tell you. While he was still speaking, there also came another and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands and swooped down upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and have killed the servants with the edge of the sword. And I only have escaped alone to tell you. While he was still speaking, there also came another and said, Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house. And, behold, a great wind came from the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead. And I only have escaped alone to tell you. And Job arose, and tore his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground and worshiped. And he said, I came naked out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. Jehovah gave, and Jehovah has taken away. Blessed be the name of Jehovah.

For Jehovah your God brings you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey, a land in which you shall eat bread without want. You shall not lack any thing in it. It is a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you may dig copper.

O fear Jehovah, His holy ones; for there is nothing lacking to those who fear Him. The young lions lack, and suffer hunger; but those who seek Jehovah shall not lack any good thing.

I have been young, and am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, or his seed begging bread.

And a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, saying, Your servant my husband is dead. And you know that your servant feared Jehovah. And the lender has come to take my two children to himself for slaves.

And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores

For it has pleased those of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints in Jerusalem.

And Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.

The rich man's wealth is his strong city; the ruin of the poor is their poverty.

And the steward said within himself, What shall I do? For my lord is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.

Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

They do not despise a thief, if he steals to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;

remove far from me vanity and a lying word; give me neither poverty or riches; tear for me my portion of bread, lest I be full and deceive, and say, Who is Jehovah? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and violate the name of my God.

It is good for me that I have been afflicted, so that I might learn Your Precepts.

For all cast in from their abundance. But she, out of her poverty, has cast in all that she had, all her livelihood.

For all these have cast in to the offerings of God from their abundance, but out of her poverty she has cast in all the living she had.

that in much testing of trouble, the overflowing of their joy, and the depth of their poverty, abounded to the riches of their generosity.

Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He has promised to those who love Him?

I know your works and tribulation and poverty (but you are rich), and I know the blasphemy of those saying themselves to be Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, for your sakes He became poor, in order that you might be made rich through His poverty.

Jesus said to him, If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in Heaven. And come, follow Me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.

For you both sympathized with my bonds and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that you have in Heaven a better and an enduring substance.

And though I give out all my goods to feed the poor, and though I deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, I am profited nothing.

as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing all things.