So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth - That is, with slow, but surely approaching steps.
Thy want as an armed man - That is, with irresistible fury; and thou art not prepared to oppose it. The Vulgate, Septuagint, and Arabic add the following clause to this verse: -
"But if thou wilt be diligent, thy harvest shall be as a fountain; and poverty shall flee far away from thee."
It is also thus in the Old MS. Bible: If forsothe unslow thou shul ben; shul comen as a welle thi rip; and nede fer shal fleen fro thee.