34 Bible Verses about The poor

Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord,
and He will give a reward to the lender.

You sinners frustrate the plans of the afflicted,
but the Lord is his refuge.

And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.”

My brothers, hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ without showing favoritism. For suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring, dressed in fine clothes, and a poor man dressed in dirty clothes also comes in. If you look with favor on the man wearing the fine clothes so that you say, "Sit here in a good place," and yet you say to the poor man, "Stand over there," or, "Sit here on the floor by my footstool,"

The Spirit of the Lord is on Me,
because He has anointed Me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent Me
to proclaim freedom to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free the oppressed,

the blind see, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news.

Don't rob a poor man because he is poor, and don't crush the oppressed at the gate, for the Lord will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.

Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself,
and giving to the rich—both lead only to poverty.

“You must not deny justice to a poor person among you in his lawsuit.

One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.

He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the garbage pile.
He seats them with noblemen
and gives them a throne of honor.
For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;
He has set the world on them.

But You Yourself have seen trouble and grief,
observing it in order to take the matter into Your hands.
The helpless entrusts himself to You;
You are a helper of the fatherless.

If you see oppression of the poor and perversion of justice and righteousness in the province, don’t be astonished at the situation, because one official protects another official, and higher officials protect them.

He does not keep the wicked alive,
but He gives justice to the afflicted.

I know that the Lord upholds
the just cause of the poor,
justice for the needy.

but He will judge the poor righteously
and execute justice for the oppressed of the land.
He will strike the land
with discipline from His mouth,
and He will kill the wicked
with a command from His lips.

You sinners frustrate the plans of the afflicted,
but the Lord is his refuge.

“Because of the oppression of the afflicted
and the groaning of the poor,
I will now rise up,” says the Lord.
“I will put the one who longs for it in a safe place.”

Your people settled in it;
God, You provided for the poor by Your goodness.

And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.”

Yet you dishonored that poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?

A poor man is hated even by his neighbor,
but there are many who love the rich.

All the brothers of a poor man hate him;
how much more do his friends
keep their distance from him!
He may pursue them with words,
but they are not there.

A king who judges the poor with fairness—
his throne will be established forever.

Provide justice for the needy and the fatherless;
uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.

The one who shuts his ears to the cry of the poor
will himself also call out and not be answered.

He took up the case of the poor and needy,
then it went well.
Is this not what it means to know Me?
This is the Lord’s declaration.

A generous person will be blessed,
for he shares his food with the poor.

In every way I’ve shown you that by laboring like this, it is necessary to help the weak and to keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus, for He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Give to him, and don’t have a stingy heart when you give, and because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you do.

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.Happy is one who cares for the poor;
the Lord will save him in a day of adversity.

Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him enough for whatever need he has.

Then the Levite, who has no portion or inheritance among you, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates may come, eat, and be satisfied. And the Lord your God will bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.

For there will never cease to be poor people in the land; that is why I am commanding you, ‘You must willingly open your hand to your afflicted and poor brother in your land.’

For if the eagerness is there, it is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

During a severe testing by affliction, their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed into the wealth of their generosity.

And a poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little./ 64 of a daily wage, was the smallest Roman coin. Summoning His disciples, He said to them, "I assure you: This poor widow has put in more than all those giving to the temple treasury. For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she possessed-all she had to live on."

For there will never cease to be poor people in the land; that is why I am commanding you, ‘You must willingly open your hand to your afflicted and poor brother in your land.’

I will leave
a meek and humble people among you,
and they will take refuge in the name of Yahweh.

You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.

For there will never cease to be poor people in the land; that is why I am commanding you, ‘You must willingly open your hand to your afflicted and poor brother in your land.’

I will leave
a meek and humble people among you,
and they will take refuge in the name of Yahweh.

You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.

He distributes freely to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.
His horn will be exalted in honor.

As it is written:

He scattered;
He gave to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever.

The righteous person knows the rights of the poor,
but the wicked one does not understand these concerns.

The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy and unlawfully exploited the foreign resident.

Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself,
and giving to the rich—both lead only to poverty.

So I have poured out My indignation on them and consumed them with the fire of My fury. I have brought their actions down on their own heads.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

This is what the Lord says: Administer justice and righteousness. Rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor. Don’t exploit or brutalize the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Don’t shed innocent blood in this place.

Provide justice for the needy and the fatherless;
uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.

He took up the case of the poor and needy,
then it went well.
Is this not what it means to know Me?
This is the Lord’s declaration.

For if the eagerness is there, it is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Give to him, and don’t have a stingy heart when you give, and because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you do.

for Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God granted to the churches of Macedonia: during a severe testing by affliction, their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed into the wealth of their generosity. I testify that, on their own, according to their ability and beyond their ability, read more.
they begged us insistently for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints, and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves especially to the Lord, then to us by God's will.

“Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether one of your brothers or one of the foreigners residing within a town in your land.

Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor, and do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.

You are not to rule over them harshly but fear your God.

“If your brother among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, you must not force him to do slave labor.

But during the seventh year you are to let it rest and leave it uncultivated, so that the poor among your people may eat from it and the wild animals may consume what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

"When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident; I am the Lord your God.

For you took collateral from your brothers without cause,
stripping off their clothes and leaving them naked.

For he oppressed and abandoned the poor;
he seized a house he did not build.

Therefore snares surround you,
and sudden dread terrifies you,

And a poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little.

For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many acts of thanksgiving to God.

“If your brother becomes destitute and cannot sustain himself among you, you are to support him as a foreigner or temporary resident, so that he can continue to live among you.

“If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

On the contrary, when you host a banquet, invite those who are poor, maimed, lame, or blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

The one who gives to the poor
will not be in need,
but one who turns his eyes away
will receive many curses.

and lends at interest or for profit, will he live? He will not live! Since he has committed all these detestable acts, he will certainly die. His blood will be on him.

The Lord rises to argue the case and stands to judge the people. The Lord brings [this] charge against the elders and leaders of His people: "You have devastated the vineyard. The plunder from the poor is in your houses. Why do you crush My people and grind the faces of the poor?" says the Lord God of Hosts.

Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.

For suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring, dressed in fine clothes, and a poor man dressed in dirty clothes also comes in. If you look with favor on the man wearing the fine clothes so that you say, "Sit here in a good place," and yet you say to the poor man, "Stand over there," or, "Sit here on the floor by my footstool," haven't you discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

The one who despises his neighbor sins,
but whoever shows kindness to the poor will be happy.

They push the needy off the road; the poor of the land are forced into hiding. Like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go out to their task of foraging for food; the wilderness provides nourishment for their children. They gather their fodder in the field and glean the vineyards of the wicked. read more.
Without clothing, they spend the night naked, having no covering against the cold. Drenched by mountain rains, they huddle against the rocks, shelterless. The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast; the nursing child of the poor is seized as collateral. Without clothing, they wander about naked. They carry sheaves but go hungry.

and when he oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, and does not return collateral, and when he raises his eyes to the idols, commits detestable acts,

He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the garbage pile.
He seats them with noblemen
and gives them a throne of honor.
For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;
He has set the world on them.

But He lifts the needy out of their suffering
and makes their families multiply like flocks.

The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, Yahweh, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

For the Lord listens to the needy
and does not despise
His own who are prisoners.

Do not give the life of Your dove to beasts;
do not forget the lives of Your poor people forever.

Do not let the oppressed turn away in shame;
let the poor and needy praise Your name.

“Because of the oppression of the afflicted
and the groaning of the poor,
I will now rise up,” says the Lord.
“I will put the one who longs for it in a safe place.”

For He stands at the right hand of the needy
to save him from those who would condemn him.

Your people settled in it;
God, You provided for the poor by Your goodness.

executing justice for the exploited
and giving food to the hungry.
The Lord frees prisoners.

The rich and the poor have this in common:
the Lord made them both.

God is not partial to princes
and does not favor the rich over the poor,
for they are all the work of His hands.

My very bones will say,
“Lord, who is like You,
rescuing the poor from one too strong for him,
the poor or the needy from one who robs him?”

God rescues the afflicted by their affliction;
He instructs them by their torment.

saying:

Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will leave this life.
The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.
Praise the name of Yahweh.

The Lord brings poverty and gives wealth;
He humbles and He exalts.

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. She was always doing good works and acts of charity.

So Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they led him to the room upstairs. And all the widows approached him, weeping and showing him the robes and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.

Therefore snares surround you,
and sudden dread terrifies you,

You gave no water to the thirsty
and withheld food from the famished,

Now as you excel in everything-in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us-excel also in this grace. I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love.

For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger and you didn't take Me in; I was naked and you didn't clothe Me, sick and in prison and you didn't take care of Me.' "Then they too will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help You?' read more.
"Then He will answer them, 'I assure you: Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me either.'

“If there is a poor person among you, one of your brothers within any of your gates in the land the Lord your God is giving you, you must not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.

“If there is a poor person among you, one of your brothers within any of your gates in the land the Lord your God is giving you, you must not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.

So the Lord sent Nathan to David. When he arrived, he said to him: There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. It lived and grew up with him and his children. It shared his meager food and drank from his cup; it slept in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. read more.
Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man could not bring himself to take one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for his guest. David was infuriated with the man and said to Nathan: "As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! Because he has done this thing and shown no pity, he must pay four lambs for that lamb."

Do not profit or take interest from him, but fear your God and let your brother live among you.

The one who works his land
will have plenty of food,
but whoever chases fantasies
will have his fill of poverty.

Don’t love sleep, or you will become poor;
open your eyes, and you’ll have enough to eat.

For the drunkard and the glutton will become poor,
and grogginess will clothe them in rags.

The one who despises his neighbor sins,
but whoever shows kindness to the poor will be happy.

However, Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, left in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing, and he gave them vineyards and fields at that time.

A rich man is wise in his own eyes,
but a poor man who has discernment sees through him.

The one who oppresses the poor person insults his Maker,
but one who is kind to the needy honors Him.

Don’t rob a poor man because he is poor,
and don’t crush the oppressed at the gate,

Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.

So each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers who lived in Judea. This they did, sending it to the elders by means of Barnabas and Saul.

If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well," but you don't give them what the body needs, what good is it? In the same way faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead by itself.

But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I don’t have anything baked—only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.”

They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated.

The righteous person knows the rights of the poor,
but the wicked one does not understand these concerns.

You pierce his head
with his own spears;
his warriors storm out to scatter us,
gloating as if ready to secretly devour the weak.

Just as one gathers silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace to blow fire on them and melt them, so I will gather you in My anger and wrath, put you inside, and melt you.

Better a poor man who lives with integrity
than someone who has deceitful lips and is a fool.

The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker,
and one who rejoices over calamity
will not go unpunished.

But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw [the man], he had compassion. He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him. When I come back I'll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.'

The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, Yahweh, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

Right now I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the saints,

For I rescued the poor man who cried out for help, and the fatherless child who had no one to support him. The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow's heart rejoice. I clothed myself in righteousness, and it enveloped me; my just decisions were like a robe and a turban. read more.
I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy, and I examined the case of the stranger.

The humble will have joy
after joy in the Lord,
and the poor people will rejoice
in the Holy One of Israel.

He will pay attention to the prayer of the destitute
and will not despise their prayer.

I know that the Lord upholds
the just cause of the poor,
justice for the needy.

Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”

Provide justice for the needy and the fatherless; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. Rescue the poor and needy; save them from the hand of the wicked."

For You have been a stronghold for the poor,
a stronghold for the needy person in his distress,
a refuge from the rain, a shade from the heat.
When the breath of the violent
is like rain against a wall,

If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need—how can God’s love reside in him?

Elisha asked her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?”

She said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.”

He said to Him, “Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”

Why do you crush My people
and grind the faces of the poor?”
This is the declaration
of the Lord God of Hosts.

But You Yourself have seen trouble and grief,
observing it in order to take the matter into Your hands.
The helpless entrusts himself to You;
You are a helper of the fatherless.

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

“You must not deny justice to a poor person among you in his lawsuit.

For he will rescue the poor who cry out
and the afflicted who have no helper.

You sinners frustrate the plans of the afflicted,
but the Lord is his refuge.

In arrogance the wicked relentlessly pursue the afflicted;
let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.

asking, "When will the New Moon be over so we may sell grain, and the Sabbath, so we may market wheat? We can reduce the measure while increasing the price and cheat with dishonest scales. We can buy the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and even sell the wheat husks!"

You sinners frustrate the plans of the afflicted,
but the Lord is his refuge.

For the oppressed will not always be forgotten;
the hope of the afflicted will not perish forever.

Listen, my dear brothers: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him?

At mealtime Boaz told her, “Come over here and have some bread and dip it in the vinegar sauce.” So she sat beside the harvesters, and he offered her roasted grain. She ate and was satisfied and had some left over.

He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it.

Therefore, because you trample on the poor
and exact a grain tax from him,
you will never live in the houses of cut stone
you have built;
you will never drink the wine
from the lush vineyards
you have planted.

He replied to them, “The one who has two shirts must share with someone who has none, and the one who has food must do the same.”

The brother of humble circumstances should boast in his exaltation,

Listen, my dear brothers: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him?

God is not partial to princes
and does not favor the rich over the poor,
for they are all the work of His hands.

Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers who reaped your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.

The Spirit of the Lord is on Me,
because He has anointed Me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent Me
to proclaim freedom to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free the oppressed,

But Peter said, “I don’t have silver or gold, but what I have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”

Ruth the Moabitess asked Naomi, “Will you let me go into the fields and gather fallen grain behind someone who allows me to?”

Naomi answered her, “Go ahead, my daughter.”

He saves the needy from their sharp words
and from the clutches of the powerful.

Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan
who are on the hill of Samaria,
women who oppress the poor
and crush the needy,
who say to their husbands,
“Bring us something to drink.”

The Lord says:

I will not relent from punishing Israel
for three crimes, even four,
because they sell a righteous person for silver
and a needy person for a pair of sandals.

So the poor have hope,
and injustice shuts its mouth.

You sinners frustrate the plans of the afflicted,
but the Lord is his refuge.

For he will rescue the poor who cry out and the afflicted who have no helper. He will have pity on the poor and helpless and save the lives of the poor. He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious in his sight.

A king who judges the poor with fairness—
his throne will be established forever.

Provide justice for the needy and the fatherless;
uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.

The one who shuts his ears to the cry of the poor
will himself also call out and not be answered.

He took up the case of the poor and needy,
then it went well.
Is this not what it means to know Me?
This is the Lord’s declaration.

"But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, he may bring two quarts of fine flour as an offering for his sin. He must not put olive oil or frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. He is to bring it to the priest, who will take a handful from it as its memorial portion and burn [it] on the altar along with the fire offerings to the Lord; it is a sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf concerning the sin he has committed in any of these cases, and he will be forgiven. The rest will belong to the priest, like the grain offering."