21:13

In this proverb, the second line gives the consequence of the action in the first line.

13a Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor,

13b he too shall cry out and receive no answer.

The proverb serves as a warning that those who show no mercy to the poor will receive no mercy themselves.

21:13a

Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor: The phrase shuts his ears to is a figure of speech. It refers here to a person who deliberately refuses to heed the cry of the poor. He ignores a poor person’s desperate plea for help, probably for money, food, or justice. The verse does not specify what kind of help the poor person is pleading for. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

Whoever ignores the poor when they cry for help (New Century Version)
-or-
If you refuse to listen when a poor person pleads for you to help him

21:13b

he too shall cry out and receive no answer: This clause refers to the person in 21:13a who refuses to help the poor. It implies that there will be a time when that person finds himself in need. At that time, he will also cry out for help, but no one will respond.

The verse does not make explicit whether this person pleads to the LORD or to another person. If possible, leave it ambiguous. If you need to specify, the parallel with 21:13a makes it probable that the one whom he addresses is another person.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

will also cry for help and not be answered (New Century Version)
-or-
don’t expect to be heard when you cry out for help (Contemporary English Version)

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