Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too shall cry out and receive no answer.
Parallel translations
- WEB Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor, he will also cry out, but shall not be heard.
- KJV Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.
- ESV Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.
- NKJV Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor Will also cry himself and not be heard.
- NASB One who shuts his ear to the outcry of the poor Will also call out himself, and not be answered.
- NLT Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Whoever ignores the cry of the poor will himself cry unheard. It matters because callousness toward the needy invites God's like response.
Overview
Refusing to hear the poor brings a fitting judgment — God will not hear that person in his own time of need (Matthew 18:33; James 2:13). The verse binds our treatment of the needy to how God deals with us. Mercy shown to the poor reflects the heart of God, who hears the cry of the afflicted.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- Prov 28:27Whoever gives to the poor will not be in need, but he who hides his eyes will receive many curses.
- Prov 1:28Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will earnestly seek me, but will not find me.
- Matt 6:14For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
- Matt 7:2For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
- Jas 2:13–16For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
- Jer 34:16–17But now you have changed your minds and profaned My name. Each of you has taken back the menservants and maidservants whom you had set at liberty to go wherever they wanted, and you have again forced them to be your slaves.
- Matt 18:30–35But he refused. Instead, he went and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay his debt.
- Isa 58:6–9Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke?
- Isa 1:15–17When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.
- Ps 18:41They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—to the LORD, but He did not answer.
- Ps 58:4Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like a cobra that shuts its ears,
- Zech 7:9–13“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Administer true justice. Show loving devotion and compassion to one another.
- Matt 25:41–46Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
- Deut 15:7–11If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother.
- Acts 7:57At this they covered their ears, cried out in a loud voice, and rushed together at him.
- Neh 5:13I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “May God likewise shake out of His house and possession every man who does not keep this promise. May such a man be shaken out and have nothing!” The whole assembly said, “Amen,” and they praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.
- Neh 5:1–5About that time there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.
- Luke 13:25After the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 21:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.