Proverbs 22:16

Modern

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

Traditional

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

Literal

The one oppressing the poor, to increase for himself, giving to a rich one, surely is unto poverty.

Latin

Qui calumniatur pauperem ut augeat divitias suas, dabit ipse ditiori, et egebit.

Hebrew

English

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

A person advances through hard work, not by taking advantage of the poor or bribing the wealthy (compare Proverbs 22:29).

Proverbs 22:22–23
Do not rob a poor man because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate,
James 2:13
For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Psalm 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.”
James 5:1–5
Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.
Luke 14:12–14
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.
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.
Luke 6:33–35
If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same.
Proverbs 28:22
A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty awaits him.
Job 20:19–29
For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor; he has seized houses he did not build.
Zechariah 7:9–14
“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Administer true justice. Show loving devotion and compassion to one another.
Micah 2:2–3
They covet fields and seize them; they take away houses. They deprive a man of his home, a fellow man of his inheritance.