Proverbs 14:21

The Message

It’s criminal to ignore a neighbor in need, but compassion for the poor—what a blessing!

Cross References

Proverbs 11:12

Mean-spirited slander is heartless; quiet discretion accompanies good sense.

Proverbs 14:31

You insult your Maker when you exploit the powerless; when you’re kind to the poor, you honor God.

Proverbs 17:5

Whoever mocks poor people insults their Creator; gloating over misfortune is a punishable crime.

Proverbs 18:3

When wickedness arrives, shame’s not far behind; contempt for life is contemptible.

Proverbs 19:17

Mercy to the needy is a loan to God, and God pays back those loans in full.

Proverbs 21:10

Wicked souls love to make trouble; they feel nothing for friends and neighbors.

Proverbs 22:9

Generous hands are blessed hands because they give bread to the poor.

Proverbs 28:27

Be generous to the poor—you’ll never go hungry; shut your eyes to their needs, and run a gauntlet of curses.

Proverbs 28:8

Get as rich as you want through cheating and extortion, But eventually some friend of the poor is going to give it all back to them.

Daniel 4:27

“So, king, take my advice: Make a clean break with your sins and start living for others. Quit your wicked life and look after the needs of the down-and-out. Then you will continue to have a good life.”

Luke 18:9

He told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ‘Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.’