All The Poor

The Bible's consistent high regard for the poor as people, as expressed in verses like Leviticus 19:15 and Proverbs 14:31, is rooted in the idea that all men and women bear the divine image, whatever their socioeconomic class (Genesis 1:27, 5:1-2).  Wealth and scarcity is not what dictates human value or rights, and Yahweh's Torah laws repeatedly condemn showing classist favoritism to anyone in either direction (Exodus 23:3, 6, Leviticus 19:15) and demand practices that would prevent permanent debt poverty in a region (as in Deuteronomy 15:3).  There is nuance in this, as the Bible does acknowledge the possibility that people can be poor out of genuine stupidity and laziness rather than because of circumstances utterly beyond their control.  This is the only manner in which someone would inevitably stay poor if living in a society where all Biblical poverty commands are upheld.  Speaking of such fools, the book of Proverbs says the following:

Proverbs 6:9-11—"How long will you lie there, you sluggard?  When will you get up from your sleep?  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man."

In these verses, Proverbs warns strongly against descending into poverty due to simple unwillingness to work.  Note that the Sabbath prescription alone contradicts the idea that the Bible is teaching any sort of relentless productivity (Deuteronomy 5:12-15, for instance).  Of course, there are other possible reasons why someone might fall into poverty.  A person could be born without their consent into an impoverished family without any means of doing more than surviving or could be ruthlessly exploited by employers, who hoard more of the wealth generated by labor than would rightfully be theirs so that their workers are not compensated enough to save their way out of destitution.  It does not logically follow from working hard that one will see financial flourishing.  In one sense, however, it makes no difference why someone is poor.  There are moral rights of the poor that the same Bible which contains Proverbs 6:9-11 inflexibly teaches beyond the more general human rights like that of not being murdered (Exodus 20:13).  Here are some examples:

Exodus 23:6—"'Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.'"

Leviticus 19:9-10—"'"When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.  Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen.  Leave them for the poor and the foreigner.  I am the Lord your God."'"

All the poor and not strictly those born into poverty or without the opportunities to escape it should be treated in these ways.  Crucially, not all of these rights have to do with not being discriminated against on the basis of class in a legal setting--whether or not someone is poor exclusively due to their own stupidity and laziness.  Having access to life-sustaining resources like food is a Biblical human right, like it or not, even if that food comes from someone else's fields as clearly permitted—and morally required of agricultural landowners—in Leviticus 19:9-10, as well as in Leviticus 23:22 and Deuteronomy 23:24-25 (see also the adjacent passage of Deuteronomy 24:19-22).  However, no one would be able to escape poverty as opposed to starvation simply by relying on this mandatory form of generosity, as to do this apart from immense luck, he or she would indeed have to work.  Some people might nevertheless refuse.

As asinine as it is, there is nothing impossible about someone perpetuating their own poverty out of sheer stupidity and laziness.  In my country, in spite of extreme workplace exploitation in the form of low compensation, there are many who ensure their own financial hardship on top of this by recklessly spending money they do not have on non-essentials or by refusing to save money for the sake of retirement or unexpected emergencies when they have the chance.  They might even regard careful management of personal finances as an oppressive intrusion into a fulfilling life!  

This is the kind of person Proverbs refers to.  Neither laziness nor misfortune nor economic oppression is the sole possible way for someone to become or remain poor; any of these or a combination of them could be the reason.  Of these factors, though, laziness alone is the fault of the individual.  You cannot will away societal obstacles to obtaining wealth legitimately, and no one can be at fault for their own mistreatment as an employee that holds them back.  Sheer inactivity cannot be anyone's fault but that of the lazy individual although it can cost them dearly, in sharp contrast.

At the same time, not even the truly lazy among the poor deserve to be entirely ignored on Judeo-Christianity.  Perhaps one does not need to lend to them as freely as to others (Deuteronomy 15:7-11), but such lending is not the only anti-poverty measure prescribed in the Bible.  To bar the poor access to the edges of your field during the harvest in an agricultural community or prevent people from eating from your standing grain or orchards, given that they do not take more than they can eat at that time (Deuteronomy 23:24-25) is sin no matter the reason why a given person is poor.  All the poor have a right to such things—and the scope of Deuteronomy 23:24-25 is not even limited to the poor!