אַשְׁרֵי, מַשְׂכִּיל אֶל-דָּל; בְּיוֹם רָעָה, יְמַלְּטֵהוּ יְהוָה.
יְהוָה, יִשְׁמְרֵהוּ וִיחַיֵּהוּ--יאשר (וְאֻשַּׁר) בָּאָרֶץ; וְאַל-תִּתְּנֵהוּ, בְּנֶפֶשׁ אֹיְבָיו.
יְהוָה--יִסְעָדֶנּוּ, עַל-עֶרֶשׂ דְּוָי; כָּל-מִשְׁכָּבוֹ, הָפַכְתָּ בְחָלְיוֹ
Happy is he who considers the poor; Adonai will deliver him in the day of evil. Adonai preserve him, and keep him alive, let him be called happy in the land; and do not deliver him unto the greed of his enemies. Adonai will support him upon the bed of illness; turn all his lying down in his sickness. [JPS translation]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. According to the text, what is the reward for considering the poor?
2. What do you think it means to consider the poor?
3. In what ways are we made happy by considering others?
Time Period: Biblical (early ancestors to 165 BCE)