For the music director; a psalm of David. How blessed ²  is the one who treats the poor properly! ³  When trouble comes, ⁴  the Lord delivers him. ⁵ 

The wealth of a rich person is like ¹  a fortified city, ²  but the poor are brought to ruin ³  by ⁴  their poverty.

There is one who pretends to be rich ¹  and yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor ²  and yet possesses great wealth. ³ 

Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity ¹  than one who is perverse in his speech ²  and is a fool. ³ 

All the relatives ¹  of a poor person hate him; ²  how much more do his friends avoid him – he pursues them ³  with words, but they do not respond. ⁴ 

The one who is gracious ¹  to the poor lends ²  to the Lord, and the Lord ³  will repay him ⁴  for his good deed. ⁵ 

The one who shuts his ears ¹  to the cry ²  of the poor, he too will cry out and will not be answered. ³ 

The one who oppresses the poor to increase his own gain and the one who gives to the rich ¹  – both end up only in poverty.

A poor person ¹  who walks in his integrity is better than one who is perverse in his ways ²  even though ³  he is rich. ⁴ 

The one who gives to the poor will not lack, ¹  but whoever shuts his eyes to them ²  will receive ³  many curses. ⁴ 

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.

A poor but wise youth is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive advice.

For he came out of prison ¹  to become king, even though he had been born poor in what would become his ²  kingdom.

So I concluded that wisdom is better than might, ¹  but a poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens ²  to his advice. ³ 

Why do you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor?” ¹  The sovereign Lord who commands armies ²  has spoken.

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 downtrodden will again rejoice in the Lord; the poor among humankind will take delight ¹  in the Holy One of Israel. ² 

A deceiver’s methods are evil; ¹  he dreams up evil plans ²  to ruin the poor with lies, even when the needy are in the right. ³ 

But he ¹  left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing. He gave them fields and vineyards at that time.

Pack your bags for exile, you inhabitants of poor dear Egypt. ¹  For Memphis will be laid waste. It will lie in ruins ²  and be uninhabited.