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Scripture · Old Testament

Proverbs 22:16

Proverbs 22:16 is verse 16 of Proverbs chapter 22, shown here in the Berean Standard Bible.

Berean Standard Bible

Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself or giving gifts to the rich will surely lead to poverty.

BSB source and public domain terms

King James Version

He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.

World English Bible

Whoever oppresses the poor for his own increase and whoever gives to the rich, both come to poverty.

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Proverbs 22:14–18 · Berean Standard Bible

14 The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; he who is under the wrath of the LORD will fall into it.

15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.

16 Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself or giving gifts to the rich will surely lead to poverty.

17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise— apply your mind to my knowledge—

18 for it is pleasing when you keep them within you and they are constantly on your lips.

Read all of Proverbs 22

Hebrew words

Data created by STEPBible.org based on work at Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

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Read the commentary on Proverbs 22

Cross-references

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge lists these related verses. Scripture text comes from the Berean Standard Bible.

Proverbs 22:22

Do not rob a poor man because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate,

Proverbs 22:23

for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who rob them.

Proverbs 14:31

Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.

Proverbs 28:3

A destitute leader who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no food.

Job 20:19

For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor; he has seized houses he did not build.

Job 20:20

Because his appetite is never satisfied, he cannot escape with his treasure.

Job 20:21

Nothing is left for him to consume; thus his prosperity will not endure.

Job 20:22

In the midst of his plenty, he will be distressed; the full force of misery will come upon him.

Job 20:23

When he has filled his stomach, God will vent His fury upon him, raining it down on him as he eats.

Job 20:24

Though he flees from an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce him.

Job 20:25

It is drawn out of his back, the gleaming point from his liver. Terrors come over him.

Job 20:26

Total darkness is reserved for his treasures. A fire unfanned will consume him and devour what is left in his tent.

Job 20:27

The heavens will expose his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him.

Job 20:28

The possessions of his house will be removed, flowing away on the day of God’s wrath.

Job 20:29

This is the wicked man’s portion from God, the inheritance God has appointed him.”

Psalms 12:5

“For the cause of the oppressed and for the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will bring safety to him who yearns.”

Micah 2:2

They covet fields and seize them; they take away houses. They deprive a man of his home, a fellow man of his inheritance.

Micah 2:3

Therefore this is what the LORD says: “I am planning against this nation a disaster from which you cannot free your necks. Then you will not walk so proudly, for it will be a time of calamity.

Zechariah 7:9

“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Administer true justice. Show loving devotion and compassion to one another.

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.’

Zechariah 7:11

But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped up their ears from hearing.

Zechariah 7:12

They made their hearts like flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of Hosts.

Zechariah 7:13

And just as I had called and they would not listen, so when they called I would not listen, says the LORD of Hosts.

Zechariah 7:14

But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known, and the land was left desolate behind them so that no one could come or go. Thus they turned the pleasant land into a desolation.”

James 2:13

For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James 5:1

Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.

James 5:2

Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes.

James 5:3

Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days.

James 5:4

Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.

James 5:5

You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter.

Luke 6:33

If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same.

Luke 6:34

And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.

Luke 6:35

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

Luke 14:12

Then Jesus said to the man who had invited Him, “When you host a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they may invite you in return, and you will be repaid.

Luke 14:13

But when you host a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind,

Luke 14:14

and you will be blessed. Since they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Luke 16:24

So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’

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