25 – Money

So in the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruit of the soil as an offering to the LORD, while Abel brought the best portions of the firstborn of his flock. And the LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but He had no regard for Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell.

And Abram had become extremely wealthy in livestock and silver and gold.

But the land was unable to support both of them while they stayed together, for they had so many possessions that they were unable to coexist.

and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything.

"The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and donkeys.

Then he brought out jewels of silver and gold, and articles of clothing, and he gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and her mother.

Now Isaac sowed seed in the land, and that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him, and he became richer and richer, until he was exceedingly wealthy. He owned so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.

And this stone I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give You a tenth."

So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance, like the sand of the sea, that he stopped keeping track of it; for it was beyond measure.

When the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. And every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.

Joseph also provided his father and brothers and all his father's household with food for their families.

There was no food, however, in all that region, because the famine was so severe; the lands of Egypt and Canaan had been exhausted by the famine. Joseph collected all the money to be found in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain they were buying, and he brought it into Pharaoh's palace. When the money from the lands of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our funds have run out!" "Then bring me your livestock," said Joseph. "Since the money is gone, I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock." So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their flocks and herds, and their donkeys. Throughout that year he provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock. When that year was over, they came to him the second year and said, "We cannot hide from our lord that our money is gone and all our livestock belongs to you. There is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. Why should we perish before your eyes- we and our land as well? Purchase us and our land in exchange for food. Then we, along with our land, will be slaves to Pharaoh. Give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate." So Joseph acquired for Pharaoh all the land in Egypt; the Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields because the famine was so severe upon them. The land became Pharaoh's, and Joseph reduced the people to servitude from one end of Egypt to the other.

Every woman shall ask her neighbor and any woman staying in her house for silver and gold jewelry and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians."

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test whether or not they will follow My instructions. Then on the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on the other days."

Then Moses said to them, "No one may keep any of it until morning." But they did not listen to Moses; some people left part of it until morning, and it became infested with maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

You shall not steal.

You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

You are not to make any gods alongside Me; you are not to make for yourselves gods of silver or gold.

Whoever kidnaps another man must be put to death, whether he sells him or the man is found in his possession.

If a man gives his neighbor money or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbor's house, the thief, if caught, must pay back double. If the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges to determine whether he has taken his neighbor's property.

If you lend money to one of My people among you who is poor, you must not act as a creditor to him; you are not to charge him interest.

"Tell the Israelites to bring Me an offering. You are to receive My offering from every man whose heart compels him.

Take from among you an offering to the LORD. Let everyone whose heart is willing bring an offering to the LORD: gold, silver, and bronze;

So all who had willing hearts, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings, rings and necklaces, and all kinds of gold jewelry. And they all presented their gold as a wave offering to the LORD.

and said to Moses, "The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD has commanded us to do." After Moses had given an order, they sent a proclamation throughout the camp: "No man or woman should make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary." So the people were restrained from bringing more, since what they already had was more than enough to perform all the work.

"If someone sins and acts unfaithfully against the LORD by deceiving his neighbor in regard to a deposit or security entrusted to him or stolen, or if he extorts his neighbor or finds lost property and lies about it and swears falsely, or if he commits any such sin that a man might commit-

When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God. You must not steal. You must not lie or deceive one another.

You must not defraud your neighbor or rob him. You must not withhold until morning the wages due a hired hand.

You must not use dishonest measures of length, weight, or volume. You shall maintain honest scales and weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap all the way to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident. I am the LORD your God.'"

For six years you may sow your field and prune your vineyard and gather its crops. But in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land- a Sabbath to the LORD. You are not to sow your field or prune your vineyard. You are not to reap the aftergrowth of your harvest or gather the grapes of your untended vines. The land must have a year of complete rest.

And you shall count off seven Sabbaths of years- seven times seven years- so that the seven Sabbaths of years amount to forty-nine years. Then you are to sound the horn far and wide on the tenth day of the seventh month, the Day of Atonement. You shall sound it throughout your land. So you are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and to his clan. The fiftieth year will be a Jubilee for you; you are not to sow the land or reap its aftergrowth or harvest the untended vines. For it is a Jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You may eat only the crops taken directly from the field.

Now if your countryman becomes destitute and cannot support himself among you, then you are to help him as you would a foreigner or stranger, so that he can continue to live among you.

Do not take any interest or profit from him, but fear your God, that your countryman may live among you. You must not lend him your silver at interest or sell him your food for profit.

Thus any tithe from the land, whether from the seed of the land or the fruit of the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.

Then the LORD said to Aaron, "You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites. Behold, I have given to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work they do, the service of the Tent of Meeting.

And the LORD instructed Moses, "Speak to the Levites and tell them: 'When you receive from the Israelites the tithe that I have given you as your inheritance, you must present part of it as an offering to the LORD- a tithe of the tithe. Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. So you are to present an offering to the LORD from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites, and from these you are to give the LORD's offering to Aaron the priest. You must present the offering due the LORD from all the best of every gift, the holiest part of it.'

Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan because he had no sons? Give us property among our father's brothers." So Moses brought their case before the LORD, and the LORD answered him, "The daughters of Zelophehad speak correctly. You certainly must give them property as an inheritance among their father's brothers, and transfer their father's inheritance to them. Furthermore, you shall say to the Israelites, 'If a man dies and leaves no son, you are to transfer his inheritance to his daughter. If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father's brothers. And if his father has no brothers, give his inheritance to the next of kin from his clan, that he may take possession of it. This is to be a statutory ordinance for the Israelites, as the LORD has commanded Moses.'"

So we have brought to the LORD an offering of the gold articles each man acquired- armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces- to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD."

No inheritance may be transferred from one tribe to another, for each tribe of Israel must retain its inheritance."

You shall not steal.

You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. You shall not covet your neighbor's house or field, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

a land where you will eat food without scarcity, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and whose hills are ready to be mined for copper.

Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses in which to dwell, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. He led you through the vast and terrifying wilderness with its venomous snakes and scorpions, a thirsty and waterless land. He brought you water from the rock of flint. He fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers had not known, in order to humble you and test you, so that in the end He might cause you to prosper. You might say in your heart, "The power and strength of my hands have made this wealth for me." But remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm His covenant that He swore to your fathers even to this day.

For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and accepting no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.

To that place you are to bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and heave offerings, your vow offerings and freewill offerings, as well as the firstborn of your herds and flocks.

then the LORD your God will choose a dwelling for His Name. And there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice offerings you vow to the LORD.

Within your gates you must not eat the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, the firstborn of your herds or flocks, any of the offerings that you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts.

You must be sure to set aside a tenth of all the produce brought forth each year from your fields. And you are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks, in the presence of the LORD your God at the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name, so that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.

At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is the manner of remission: Every creditor shall cancel what he has loaned to his neighbor. He is not to collect anything from his neighbor or brother, because the LORD's time of release has been proclaimed. You may collect something from a foreigner, but you must forgive whatever your brother owes you.

When the LORD your God blesses you as He has promised, you will lend to many nations but borrow from none; you will rule over many nations but be ruled by none.

If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother. Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs.

Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: "The seventh year, the year of release, is near," so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin. Give generously to him, and do not let your heart be grieved when you do so. And because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything to which you put your hand. For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land.

And you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with a freewill offering that you give in proportion to how the LORD your God has blessed you,

Everyone must appear with a gift as he is able, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you.

He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go astray. He must not accumulate for himself large amounts of silver and gold.

Although they have no inheritance among their brothers, the LORD is their inheritance, as He promised them.

You must not move your neighbor's boundary marker, which was set up by your ancestors to mark the inheritance you shall receive in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

Do not charge your brother interest on money, food, or any other type of loan. You may charge a foreigner interest, but not your brother, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything to which you put your hand in the land that you are entering to possess.

If a man is caught kidnapping one of his Israelite brothers, whether he treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die. So you must purge the evil from among you.

When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you must not go over the vines again. What remains will be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow.

And He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land that You, O LORD, have given me." Then you are to place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before Him. So you shall rejoice- you, the Levite, and the foreigner dwelling among you- in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household.

When you have finished laying aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you are to give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat and be filled within your gates. Then you shall declare in the presence of the LORD your God, "I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all the commandments You have given me. I have not transgressed or forgotten Your commandments.

The LORD will make you prosper abundantly- in the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your land- in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. The LORD will open the heavens, His abundant storehouse, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations, but borrow from none.

For all the silver and gold and all the articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they must go into His treasury."

To the tribe of Levi, however, Moses had given no inheritance. The LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, just as He had promised them.

The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's, and upon them He has set the world.

Then the LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he arrived, he said, "There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a great number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food and drank from his cup; it slept in his arms and was like a daughter to him. Now a traveler came to the rich man, who refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for his guest." David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan: "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! Because he has done this thing and has shown no pity, he must pay for the lamb four times over."

"No," replied the king, "I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the LORD answered the prayers on behalf of the land, and the plague upon Israel was halted.

So Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold. So he overlaid with gold the whole interior of the temple, until everything was completely finished. He also overlaid with gold the entire altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.

And he overlaid the temple floor with gold in both the inner and outer sanctuaries.

Solomon also made all the furnishings for the house of the LORD: the golden altar; the golden table on which was placed the Bread of the Presence; the lampstands of pure gold in front of the inner sanctuary, five on the right side and five on the left; the gold flowers, lamps, and tongs; the pure gold basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, ladles, and censers; and the gold hinges for the doors of the inner temple (that is, the Most Holy Place) as well as for the doors of the main hall of the temple.

The weight of gold that came to Solomon each year was 666 talents,

All King Solomon's drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver, because it was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon. For the king had the ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram's fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a piece of bread." But she replied, "As surely as the LORD your God lives, I have no bread- only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. Look, I am gathering a couple of sticks to take home and prepare a meal for myself and my son, so that we may eat it and die." "Do not be afraid," Elijah said to her. "Go and do as you have said. But first make me a small cake of bread from what you have, and bring it out to me. Afterward, make some for yourself and your son, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be exhausted and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain upon the face of the earth.'" So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and there was food every day for Elijah and the woman and her household. The jar of flour was not exhausted and the jug of oil did not run dry, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through Elijah.

"How can I help you?" asked Elisha. "Tell me, what do you have in the house?" She answered, "Your servant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil." "Go," said Elisha, "borrow jars, even empty ones, from all your neighbors. Do not gather just a few. Then go inside, shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all these jars, setting the full ones aside." So she left him, and after she had shut the door behind her and her sons, they kept bringing jars to her, and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another." But he replied, "There are no more jars." Then the oil stopped flowing. She went and told the man of God, and he said, "Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt. Then you and your sons can live on the remainder."

Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace. At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold with which he had plated the doors and doorposts of the temple of the LORD, and he gave it to the king of Assyria.

As the LORD had declared, Nebuchadnezzar also carried off all the treasures from the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he cut into pieces all the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD. He carried into exile all Jerusalem- all the commanders and mighty men of valor, all the craftsmen and metalsmiths- ten thousand captives in all. Only the poorest people of the land remained.

And Jabez called out to the God of Israel, "If only You would bless me and enlarge my territory! May Your hand be with me and keep me from harm, so that I will be free from pain." And God granted the request of Jabez.

And their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen- abundant supplies of flour, fig cakes and raisin cakes, wine and oil, oxen and sheep. Indeed, there was joy in Israel.

Now behold, I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the LORD- 100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and bronze and iron too great to be weighed. I have also provided timber and stone, and you may add to them.

Now with all my ability I have made provision for the house of my God- gold for the gold articles, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron, and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and slabs of marble- all in abundance. Moreover, because of my delight in the house of my God, I now give for it my personal treasures of gold and silver, over and above all that I have provided for this holy temple:

Toward the service of God's house they gave 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze, and 100,000 talents of iron. Whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the LORD, under the care of Jehiel the Gershonite. And the people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given to the LORD freely and wholeheartedly. And King David also rejoiced greatly.

Both riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler over all. In Your hands are power and might to exalt and give strength to all.

But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and from Your own hand we have given to You.

O LORD our God, from Your hand comes all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy Name, and all of it belongs to You.

God said to Solomon, "Since this was in your heart instead of requesting riches or wealth or glory for yourself or death for your enemies- and since you have not even requested long life but have asked for wisdom and knowledge to govern My people over whom I have made you king- therefore wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will also give you riches and wealth and honor unlike anything given to the kings before you or after you."

The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.

Moreover, he commanded the people living in Jerusalem to make a contribution for the priests and Levites so that they could devote themselves to the Law of the LORD. As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously provided the firstfruits of the grain, new wine, oil, and honey, and of all the produce of the field, and they brought in an abundance- a tithe of everything.

About that time there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews. Some were saying, "We and our sons and daughters are numerous. We must get grain in order to eat and stay alive." Others were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to get grain during the famine." Still others were saying, "We have borrowed money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards. We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless to redeem them because our fields and vineyards belong to others." When I heard their outcry and these complaints, I became extremely angry, and after serious thought I rebuked the nobles and officials, saying, " You are exacting usury from your own brothers!" So I called a large assembly against them and said, "We have done our best to buy back our Jewish brothers who were sold to foreigners, but now you are selling your own brothers, that they may be sold back to us!" But they remained silent, for they could find nothing to say. So I continued, "What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our foreign enemies? I, as well as my brothers and my servants, have been lending the people money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury. Please restore to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses, along with the percentage of the money, grain, new wine, and oil that you have been assessing them." "We will restore it," they replied, "and will require nothing more from them. We will do as you say." So I summoned the priests and required of the nobles and officials an oath that they would do what they had promised. I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, "May God likewise shake out of His house and possession every man who does not keep this promise. May such a man be shaken out and have nothing!" The whole assembly said, "Amen," and they praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.

We have cast lots among the priests, Levites, and people for the donation of wood by our families at the appointed times each year. They are to bring it to the house of our God to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the Law. We will also bring the firstfruits of our land and of every fruit tree to the house of the LORD year by year. And we will bring the firstborn of our sons and our livestock, as it is written in the Law, and will bring the firstborn of our herds and flocks to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God. Moreover, we will bring to the priests at the storerooms of the house of our God the firstfruits of our dough, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees, and of our new wine and oil. A tenth of our produce belongs to the Levites, so that they shall receive tithes in all the towns where we labor. A priest of Aaron's line is to accompany the Levites when they collect the tenth, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of these tithes to the storerooms of the treasury in the house of our God. For the Israelites and the Levites are to bring the contributions of grain, new wine, and oil to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are kept and where the ministering priests, the gatekeepers, and the singers stay. Thus we will not neglect the house of our God."

and had prepared for Tobiah a large room where they had previously stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the temple articles, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, along with the contributions for the priests.

and all Judah brought a tenth of the grain, new wine, and oil into the storerooms.

and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. Job was the greatest man of all the people of the East. Job's sons would take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.

saying: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD."

He swallows wealth but vomits it out; God will force it from his stomach.

For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor; he has seized houses he did not build.

They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol in peace.

For you needlessly demanded security from your brothers and deprived the naked of their clothing. You gave no water to the weary and withheld food from the famished,

then the Almighty will be your gold and the finest silver for you.

Men move boundary stones; they pasture stolen flocks. They drive away the donkey of the fatherless and take the widow's ox in pledge. They push the needy off the road and force all the poor of the land into hiding. Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go to work foraging for food; the wasteland is food for their children. They gather fodder in the fields and glean the vineyards of the wicked. Without clothing, they spend the night naked; they have no covering against the cold. Drenched by mountain rains, they huddle against the rocks for want of shelter. The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast; the nursing child of the poor is seized for a debt. Without clothing, they wander about naked. They carry the sheaves, but still go hungry.

For calamity from God terrifies me, and His splendor I cannot overpower. If I have put my trust in gold or called pure gold my security, if I have rejoiced in my great wealth because my hand had gained so much,

who is not partial to princes and does not favor rich over poor? For they are all the work of His hands.

After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his prosperity and doubled his former possessions.

No women as beautiful as Job's daughters could be found in all the land, and their father granted them an inheritance among their brothers.

Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession.

For the needy will not always be forgotten; nor the hope of the oppressed forever dashed.

For the wicked man boasts in the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.

who lends his money without interest and refuses a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure. The lines of my boundary have fallen in pleasant places; surely my inheritance is delightful.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.

All my bones will exclaim, "Who is like You, O LORD, who delivers the afflicted from the aggressor, the poor and needy from the robber?"

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

I once was young and now am old, yet never have I seen the righteous abandoned or their children begging for bread. They are ever generous and quick to lend, and their children are a blessing.

The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

But I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my helper and deliverer; O my God, do not delay.

Blessed is the one who cares for the poor; the LORD will deliver him in the day of trouble. The LORD will protect and preserve him; He will bless him in the land and refuse to surrender him to the will of his foes.

They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches. No man can possibly redeem his brother or pay his ransom to God. For the redemption of his soul is costly, and never can payment suffice,

"Look at the man who did not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his wealth and strengthened himself by destruction."

Place no trust in extortion, or false hope in stolen goods. If your riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.

For he will deliver the needy who cry out and the afflicted who have no helper. He will take pity on the poor and needy and save the lives of the oppressed.

Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; save them from the hand of the wicked.

For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.

He will turn toward the prayer of the destitute; He will not despise their prayer.

Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.

It is well with the man who is generous and lends freely, whose affairs are guided by justice.

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the dump to seat them with nobles, with the princes of His people.

Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.

May the LORD give you increase, both you and your children. May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

How can I repay the LORD for all His goodness to me?

The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in season. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

Such is the fate of all who are greedy, whose unjust gain takes the lives of its possessors.

if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure, then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.

Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your harvest; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who acquires understanding, for she is more profitable than silver, and her gain is better than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire compares with her.

Do not withhold good from the deserving when it is within your power to act. Do not tell your neighbor, "Come back tomorrow and I will provide"- when you already have the means.

My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge with a stranger, if you have been trapped by the words of your lips, ensnared by the words of your mouth, then do this, my son, to free yourself, for you have fallen into your neighbor's hands: Go, humble yourself, and press your plea with your neighbor. Allow no sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids. Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

Men do not despise the thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger. Yet if caught, he must pay sevenfold; he must give up all the wealth of his house.

With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, pure gold, and my harvest surpasses choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full.

Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing, but righteousness brings deliverance from death. The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but He denies the craving of the wicked. Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

The wealth of the rich man is his fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor.

The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked has little worth. The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of judgment. The blessing of the LORD enriches, and He adds no sorrow to it.

Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight.

He who puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer, but the one who hates indebtedness is secure. A gracious woman attains honor, but ruthless men gain only wealth.

One gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor. A generous soul will prosper, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. The people will curse the hoarder of grain, but blessing will crown the one who sells it. He who searches out good finds favor, but evil will come to him who seeks it. He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like foliage.

The slacker craves yet has nothing, but the soul of the diligent is fully satisfied.

One pretends to be rich, but has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. Riches may ransom a man's life, but a poor man hears no threat.

Dishonest wealth will dwindle, but what is earned through hard work will be multiplied.

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the sinner's wealth is passed to the righteous.

The poor man is hated even by his neighbor, but many are those who love the rich. He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who shows kindness to the poor. Do not those who contrive evil go astray? But those who plan goodness find loving devotion and faithfulness. There is profit in all labor, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.

The house of the righteous has great treasure, but the income of the wicked is trouble.

Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure with turmoil. Better a dish of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox with hatred.

He who is greedy for unjust gain brings trouble on his household, but he who hates bribes will live.

Better a little with righteousness than great gain with injustice.

How much better to acquire wisdom than gold! To gain understanding is more desirable than silver.

Better a dry morsel in quietness than a house full of feasting with strife. A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share his inheritance as one of the brothers. A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but the LORD is the tester of hearts.

A man lacking judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor.

The poor man pleads for mercy, but the rich man answers harshly.

Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender.

The slacker does not plow in season; at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there.

Differing weights and unequal measures- both are detestable to the LORD.

Food gained by fraud is sweet to a man, but later his mouth is full of gravel.

An inheritance gained quickly will not be blessed in the end.

The plans of the diligent bring plenty, as surely as haste leads to poverty. Making a fortune by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist, a deadly pursuit.

Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too shall cry out and receive no answer.

He who loves pleasure will become poor; the one who loves wine and oil will never be rich. The wicked become a ransom for the righteous, and the faithless for the upright. Better to live in the desert than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife. Precious treasures and oil are in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man consumes them.

The craving of the slacker kills him because his hands refuse to work. All day long he covets more, but the righteous give without restraint.

A good name is more desirable than great riches; favor is better than silver and gold. The rich and the poor have this in common: The LORD is Maker of them all.

The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender. He who sows injustice will reap disaster, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed. A generous man will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.

Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself or giving gifts to the rich will surely lead to poverty.

Do not rob a poor man because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate, for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who rob them.

Do not be one who gives pledges, who puts up security for debts. If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you?

Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself. When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.

For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe them in rags.

By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure.

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.

for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to every generation.

Better a poor man who walks with integrity than a rich man whose ways are perverse. A discerning son keeps the law, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father. He who increases his wealth by interest and usury lays it up for one who is kind to the poor.

A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man with discernment sees through him.

The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty. A faithful man will abound with blessings, but one eager to be rich will not go unpunished. To show partiality is not good, yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread. A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty awaits him. He who rebukes a man will later find more favor than one who flatters with his tongue. He who robs his father or mother, saying, "It is not wrong," is a companion to the man who destroys.

Whoever gives to the poor will not be in need, but he who hides his eyes will receive many curses.

The righteous consider the cause of the poor, but the wicked have no regard for such concerns.

A partner to a thief hates his own soul; he receives the oath, but does not testify.

Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion. Otherwise, I may have too much and deny You, saying, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, profaning the name of my God.

Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the poor and needy. A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far more precious than rubies.

She opens her arms to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.

I expanded my pursuits. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made gardens and parks for myself, where I planted all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to water my groves of flourishing trees. I acquired menservants and maidservants, and servants were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me, and I accumulated for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered to myself male and female singers, and the delights of the sons of men- many concubines. So I became great and surpassed all in Jerusalem who had preceded me; and my wisdom remained with me. Anything my eyes desired, I did not deny myself. I refused my heart no pleasure. For my heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I considered all the works that my hands had accomplished and what I had toiled to achieve, I found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind; there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile.

As a man came from his mother's womb, so he will depart again, naked as he arrived. He takes nothing for his labor to carry in his hands.

Furthermore, God has given riches and wealth to every man, and He has enabled him to enjoy them, to accept his lot, and to rejoice in his labor. This is a gift from God.

God gives a man riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires; but God does not allow him to enjoy them. Instead, a stranger will enjoy them. This is futile and a grievous affliction.

A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.

Sow your seed in the morning, and do not rest your hands in the evening, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or if both will equally prosper.

Their land is full of silver and gold, with no limit to their treasures; their land is full of horses, with no limit to their chariots. Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.

to deprive the poor of fair treatment and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people, to make widows their prey and orphans their plunder.

But a generous man devises generous things, And by generosity he shall stand.

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost! Why spend money on that which is not bread, and your labor on that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of foods.

Isn't it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will go forth in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.