Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageOne person pretends to be rich yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor yet possesses great wealth.
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GOne plays the rich man and has nothing at all; another plays the pauper yet has wealth in abundance.
KJV
King James VersionThere is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleOne pretends to be rich, but has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
Footnotes
The Hebrew verbs מִתְעַשֵּׁר (*mit'asher*, 'makes himself rich') and מִתְרוֹשֵׁשׁ (*mitroshesh*, 'makes himself poor') are both Hithpael reflexives — the subject is actively constructing or performing this status. There is a theatrical, self-fashioned quality to both postures. The proverb subverts social appearance comprehensively, critiquing both pretension upward and false humility downward. FOG uses 'plays the rich man/pauper' to catch the performative nuance; FOG Message uses 'pretends' for clarity, though it softens the active self-construction implied by the Hebrew stem.