For the end, A Psalm of David. Blessed [is the man] who thinks on the poor and needy; the Lord shall deliver him in an evil day.

May the Lord help him upon the bed of his pain; You have made all his bed in his sickness.

To the upright light has sprung up in darkness; he is pitiful, and merciful, and righteous.

For he shall not be moved forever; the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.

His heart is established, he shall not fear, till he shall see [his desire] upon his enemies.

For the counsel of the wicked will devise iniquity, to destroy the poor with unjust words, and ruin the cause of the poor in judgment.

But the godly have devised wise [measures], and this counsel shall stand.

See how the just man has perished, and no one lays [it] to heart; and righteous men are taken away, and no one considers; for the righteous has been removed out of the way of injustice.

Break your bread to the hungry, and lead the unsheltered poor to your house; if you see one naked, clothe [him], and you shall not disregard the relations of your own seed.

Then shall you cry, and God shall hearken to you; while you are yet speaking He will say, Behold, I am here. If you remove from you the band, and the stretching forth of the hands, and murmuring speech;

and your God shall be with you continually, and you shall be satisfied according as your soul desires; and your bones shall be made fat, and shall be as a well-watered garden, and as a fountain [from] which the water has not failed.

Therefore, O king, let my counsel please you, and atone for your sins by alms, and [your] iniquities by compassion on the poor; [perhaps] God will be longsuffering toward your trespasses.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'

When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?

"And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.'

Give, and it shall be given to you: good measure, pressed down and shaken and running over they shall give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it shall be measured back to you."

But this I say: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that in everything always having all sufficiency, you may abound for every good work,

Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness;

Because the ministry of this service not only is supplying the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God,

and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you.

Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit which is increasing to your account.

A receiver of bribes destroys himself, but he that hates the receiving of bribes is safe. [ 15:27A] By alms and by faithful dealings sins are purged away, but by the fear of the Lord everyone departs from evil.

For he has broken down the houses of many mighty men, and he has plundered a house, though he built it not.

There is nothing remaining of his provisions, therefore his goods shall not flourish.

If by any means he would fill his belly, let [God] send upon him the fury of wrath; let Him bring a torrent of pains upon him.

There is one [alone], and there is not a second; yea, he has neither son nor brother: yet there is no end to all his labor; neither is his eye satisfied with wealth. And for whom do I labor, and deprive my soul of good? This is also vanity, and an evil trouble.

For judgment is without mercy to the one who does not show mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Listen now, you rich, weep and howl at your miseries which are coming upon you!

Your gold and silver have become corroded, and their poison will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You stored up treasure in the last days.

You lived luxuriously upon the earth and you lived riotously, you nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter.