KJV ORIGINAL
Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
It's better to be poor and live with integrity than to be rich but dishonest and corrupt in your ways.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
This verse is saying that having good character matters more than having money - it's better to be poor and honest than wealthy and corrupt.
📚 Historical Context
This proverb comes from ancient Israel's wisdom literature, likely written during Solomon's reign when there were growing social divisions between rich and poor. In that society, as in many cultures, wealth often brought respect and power, but the wisdom writers consistently taught that moral character was more valuable than material prosperity.
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