I have never refused to help the poor; never have I let widows live in despair

All my life I have taken care of them.

I would give him clothing made of wool that had come from my own flock of sheep. Then he would praise me with all his heart.

The wicked borrow and never pay back, but good people are generous with their gifts.

He gives generously to the needy, and his kindness never fails; he will be powerful and respected.

When you give to the poor, it is like lending to the LORD, and the LORD will pay you back.

Put your investments in several places---many places even---because you never know what kind of bad luck you are going to have in this world.

Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives.

if you give food to the hungry and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon.

Your people will rebuild what has long been in ruins, building again on the old foundations. You will be known as the people who rebuilt the walls, who restored the ruined houses."

But give what is in your cups and plates to the poor, and everything will be ritually clean for you.

Sell all your belongings and give the money to the poor. Provide for yourselves purses that don't wear out, and save your riches in heaven, where they will never decrease, because no thief can get to them, and no moth can destroy them.

Since Judas was in charge of the money bag, some of the disciples thought that Jesus had told him to go and buy what they needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor.

In Joppa there was a woman named Tabitha, who was a believer. (Her name in Greek is Dorcas, meaning "a deer.") She spent all her time doing good and helping the poor.

He was a religious man; he and his whole family worshiped God. He also did much to help the Jewish poor people and was constantly praying to God.

He stared at the angel in fear and said, "What is it, sir?" The angel answered, "God is pleased with your prayers and works of charity, and is ready to answer you.

and said: 'Cornelius! God has heard your prayer and has taken notice of your works of charity.

The disciples decided that they each would send as much as they could to help their fellow believers who lived in Judea.

"After being away from Jerusalem for several years, I went there to take some money to my own people and to offer sacrifices.

if it is to encourage others, we should do so. Whoever shares with others should do it generously; whoever has authority should work hard; whoever shows kindness to others should do it cheerfully.

Remember that the person who plants few seeds will have a small crop; the one who plants many seeds will have a large crop.

And God is able to give you more than you need, so that you will always have all you need for yourselves and more than enough for every good cause.

And God, who supplies seed for the sower and bread to eat, will also supply you with all the seed you need and will make it grow and produce a rich harvest from your generosity.

For this service you perform not only meets the needs of God's people, but also produces an outpouring of gratitude to God.

And so with deep affection they will pray for you because of the extraordinary grace God has shown you.

All they asked was that we should remember the needy in their group, which is the very thing I have been eager to do.

If you used to rob, you must stop robbing and start working, in order to earn an honest living for yourself and to be able to help the poor.

Command them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share with others.

Your love, dear brother, has brought me great joy and much encouragement! You have cheered the hearts of all of God's people.

Do not forget to do good and to help one another, because these are the sacrifices that please God.

Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don't have enough to eat.

What good is there in your saying to them, "God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!"---if you don't give them the necessities of life?

Those who preach must preach God's messages; those who serve must serve with the strength that God gives them, so that in all things praise may be given to God through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

If we are rich and see others in need, yet close our hearts against them, how can we claim that we love God?

This, then, is how we will know that we belong to the truth; this is how we will be confident in God's presence.

Everyone talks about how loyal and faithful he is, but just try to find someone who really is!

The LORD says, "Sound the alarm! Enemies are swooping down on my land like eagles! My people have broken the covenant I made with them and have rebelled against my teaching.

"When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites! They love to stand up and pray in the houses of worship and on the street corners, so that everyone will see them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full.

You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will be able to see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

You hypocrites! How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you!

And early in the morning you say, 'It is going to rain, because the sky is red and dark.' You can predict the weather by looking at the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs concerning these times!

Jesus, however, was aware of their evil plan, and so he said, "You hypocrites! Why are you trying to trap me?

"How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You lock the door to the Kingdom of heaven in people's faces, but you yourselves don't go in, nor do you allow in those who are trying to enter!

"How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You sail the seas and cross whole countries to win one convert; and when you succeed, you make him twice as deserving of going to hell as you yourselves are!

Blind fools! Which is more important, the gold or the Temple which makes the gold holy?

How blind you are! Which is the more important, the gift or the altar which makes the gift holy?

and when he swears by the Temple, he is swearing by it and by God, who lives there;

"How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You give to God one tenth even of the seasoning herbs, such as mint, dill, and cumin, but you neglect to obey the really important teachings of the Law, such as justice and mercy and honesty. These you should practice, without neglecting the others.

"How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You clean the outside of your cup and plate, while the inside is full of what you have gotten by violence and selfishness.

"How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look fine on the outside but are full of bones and decaying corpses on the inside.

"How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You make fine tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of those who lived good lives;

The master will cut him in pieces and make him share the fate of the hypocrites. There he will cry and gnash his teeth.

And so the Lord will not let any of the young men escape, and he will not show pity on any of the widows and orphans, because all the people are godless and wicked and everything they say is evil. Yet even so the LORD's anger will not be ended, but his hand will still be stretched out to punish.

I sent Assyria to attack a godless nation, people who have made me angry. I sent them to loot and steal and trample the people like dirt in the streets."

Jesus answered them, "How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you! You are hypocrites, just as he wrote: 'These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me.

How can you say to your brother, 'Please, brother, let me take that speck out of your eye,' yet cannot even see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will be able to see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

Hypocrites! You can look at the earth and the sky and predict the weather; why, then, don't you know the meaning of this present time?

The Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Any one of you would untie your ox or your donkey from the stall and take it out to give it water on the Sabbath.

"When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites! They love to stand up and pray in the houses of worship and on the street corners, so that everyone will see them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full.

They love the best places at feasts and the reserved seats in the synagogues;

who choose the reserved seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts.

"How terrible for you Pharisees! You love the reserved seats in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces.

"Be on your guard against the teachers of the Law, who like to walk around in their long robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplace; who choose the reserved seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts;

"I have sinned," Saul replied. "But at least show me respect in front of the leaders of my people and all of Israel. Go back with me so that I can worship the LORD your God."

"I am not looking for human praise.

You like to receive praise from one another, but you do not try to win praise from the one who alone is God; how, then, can you believe me?

Those who speak on their own authority are trying to gain glory for themselves. But he who wants glory for the one who sent him is honest, and there is nothing false in him.

We did not try to get praise from anyone, either from you or from others,

"When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites! They love to stand up and pray in the houses of worship and on the street corners, so that everyone will see them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full.

"And when you fast, do not put on a sad face as the hypocrites do. They neglect their appearance so that everyone will see that they are fasting. I assure you, they have already been paid in full.

Remember that as long as heaven and earth last, not the least point nor the smallest detail of the Law will be done away with---not until the end of all things.