lest I become satisfied and act deceptively ¹  and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or lest I become poor and steal and demean ²  the name of my God.

There is a generation whose teeth are like ¹  swords ²  and whose molars ³  are like knives to devour ⁴  the poor from the earth and the needy from among the human race.

The poor will graze in my pastures; ¹  the needy will rest securely. But I will kill your root by famine; it will put to death all your survivors. ² 

The oppressed and the poor look for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched from thirst. I, the Lord, will respond to their prayers; ¹  I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.

I want you ¹  to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. ²  When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood! ³ 

The blind see, the ¹  lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news proclaimed to them.

He called his disciples and said to them, “I tell you the truth, ¹  this poor widow has put more into the offering box ²  than all the others. ³ 

do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say, ¹  “You sit here in a good place,” ²  and to the poor person, “You stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor”? ³ 

Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! ¹  Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?

Because you say, “I am rich and have acquired great wealth, ¹  and need nothing,” but ²  do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, ³  poor, blind, and naked,

So he saves ¹  from the sword that comes from their mouth, ²  even ³  the poor from the hand of the powerful.

I was a father ¹  to the needy, and I investigated the case of the person I did not know;

For the Lord listens to the needy; he does not despise his captive people. ¹ 

Yet he protected ¹  the needy from oppression, and cared for his families like a flock of sheep.

If a fellow Israelite ¹  from one of your villages ²  in the land that the Lord your God is giving you should be poor, you must not harden your heart or be insensitive ³  to his impoverished condition. ⁴ 

He said, “May you be rewarded ¹  by the Lord, my dear! ²  This act of devotion ³  is greater than what you did before. ⁴  For you have not sought to marry ⁵  one of the young men, whether rich or poor. ⁶ 

Even your clothes are stained with the lifeblood of the poor who had not done anything wrong; you did not catch them breaking into your homes. ¹  Yet, in spite of all these things you have done, ² 

Let the oppressed eat and be filled! ¹  Let those who seek his help praise the Lord! May you ²  live forever!

Do not hand the life of your dove ¹  over to a wild animal! Do not continue to disregard ²  the lives of your oppressed people!

“Now ¹  the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. ²  The ³  rich man also died and was buried. ⁴