POVERTY: Bible verses

Poverty is a reality that has affected humanity throughout history, and the Bible speaks extensively about it. The Scriptures reveal God’s compassion for the poor, His concern for justice, and His call for believers to care for those in need. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, poverty is addressed not only as an economic condition but also as an opportunity for faith, generosity, and dependence on God. Biblical verses on poverty teach important lessons about kindness, stewardship, humility, and the responsibility of God’s people to help the less fortunate. By studying these passages, we gain a deeper understanding of God’s heart for the poor and the role Christians are called to play in demonstrating love and compassion toward those who are struggling.

Quoted from the Old Testament books

1. [Genesis 45:11] There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.
2. [Exodus 23:6] You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits.
3. [Deuteronomy 15:4] Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it 
4. [Job 30:3] They are gaunt from poverty and hunger. They claw the dry ground in desolate wastelands.
5. [Job 31:16] If I have denied the desires of the poor or allowed the widow’s eyes to fail,
6. [1 Samuel 2:7] The LORD makes some poor and others rich; he brings some down and lifts others up.
7. [Proverbs 6:11] and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.
8. [Proverbs 10:4] Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.
9. [Proverbs 10:15] The wealth of the rich man is his fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor.
10. [Proverbs 11:24] One gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor.
11. [Proverbs 13:8] Riches may ransom a man’s life, but a poor man hears no threat
12. [Proverbs 13:18] If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace; if you accept correction, you will be honored.
13. [Proverbs 19:7] All the brothers of a poor man hate him–how much more do his friends avoid him! He may pursue them with pleading, but they are nowhere to be found.
14. [Proverbs 20:13] Do not love sleep, or you will grow poor; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of food.
15. [Proverbs 21:5] The plans of the diligent bring plenty, as surely as haste leads to poverty.
16. [Proverbs 22:16-17] A person who gets ahead by oppressing the poor or by showering gifts on the rich will end in poverty. Listen to the words of the wise; apply your heart to my instruction.
17. [Proverbs 22:22] Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court,
18. [Proverbs 23:21] for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
19. [Proverbs 24:34] and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.
20. [Proverbs 28:11] The rich person is wise in his own eyes, But the poor who has understanding sees through him.
21. [Proverbs 28:19] A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies ends up in poverty.
22. [Proverbs 28:22] The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them.
23. [Proverbs 30:8] Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
24. [Proverbs 31:7] Let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.
25. [Ecclesiastes 4:14] The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. 
26. [Zechariah 7:10] Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. And do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.’

Quoted from the New Testament books

1. [Mark 12:42-44] But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” 
2. [Luke 21:2-4] He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
3. [2 Corinthians 6:10] As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
4. [2 Corinthians 8:2] In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 
5. [2 Corinthians 8:9] You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
6. [James 2:5] Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?

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