Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.

But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.

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

He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.

The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly.

Rob not the poor, because he {is} poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:

But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?

Go to now, {ye} rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon {you}.

There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, {and that upon} our lands and vineyards.

And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. {priest: or, prince}

Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that {are} in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.

Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,

Forasmuch therefore as your treading {is} upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them. {pleasant...: Heb. vineyards of desire}

That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; {yea}, and sell the refuse of the wheat?

Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away {the punishment} thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;

Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. {sabaoth: Heb. hosts}

The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.

For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.