PROVERBS - wealth/poverty

My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause; Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit; We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil; Throw in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse,” My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path, For their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood. Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird; But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives. So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors. 1.10-19

Foolish behavior leads to poverty

Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce. 3.9

The wealthy ought to be generous

So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 3.10

God blesses the righteous with wealth. Wise people will be blessed.

How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 3.13-16

God blesses the righteous with wealth. Wise people will be blessed.

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, ” When you have it with you. 3.27-28

The wealthy ought to be generous

Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler, Prepares her food in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest. How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? “A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest”— Your poverty will come in like a vagabond And your need like an armed man. 6.6-11

Foolish behavior leads to poverty

Take my instruction and not silver, And knowledge rather than choicest gold. For wisdom is better than jewels; And all desirable things cannot compare with her. 8.10-11

Wisdom is better than wealth

Riches and honor are with me, Enduring wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold, And my yield better than choicest silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice, To endow those who love me with wealth, That I may fill their treasuries. 8.18-21

Wisdom is better than wealth

Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely, But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully. 10.4-5

Foolish behavior leads to poverty

The rich man’s wealth is his fortress, The ruin of the poor is their poverty. The wages of the righteous is life, The income of the wicked, punishment. 10.15-16

God blesses the righteous with wealth. Wise people will be blessed.

The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver, The heart of the wicked is worth little. The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of understanding. 10.20-21

Wisdom is better than wealth; Foolish behavior leads to poverty

It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it. 10.22

God blesses the righteous with wealth. Wise people will be blessed.

Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death. 11.4

The wealth of fools will not last

Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death. 11.4

Wealth has limited value

The wicked earns deceptive wages, But he who sows righteousness gets a true reward. 11.18

The wealth of fools will not last

There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. 11.24

Foolish behavior leads to poverty

There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, And he who waters will himself be watered. 11.24-25

The wealthy ought to be generous

The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth, But the poor hears no rebuke. 13.8

Wealth has limited value

Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, But the one who gathers by labor increases it. 13.11

The wealth of fools will not last

Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor, But it is swept away by injustice.13.23

Poverty is the result of injustice and oppression

The poor is hated even by his neighbor, But those who love the rich are many. 14.20

Poverty is the result of injustice and oppression

He who despises his neighbor sins, But happy is he who is gracious to the poor. 14.21

The wealthy ought to be generous

In all labor there is profit, But mere talk leads only to poverty. 14.23

Foolish behavior leads to poverty

The crown of the wise is their riches, But the folly of fools is foolishness. 14.24

God blesses the righteous with wealth. Wise people will be blessed.

Better is a little with the fear of the L ord Than great treasure and turmoil with it. Better is a dish of vegetables where love is Than a fattened ox served with hatred. 15.16-17

Wisdom is better than wealth

Better is a little with righteousness Than great income with injustice. 16.8

Wisdom is better than wealth

How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver. 16.16

Wisdom is better than wealth

Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it Than a house full of feasting with strife. 17.1

Wisdom is better than wealth

A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully, And will share in the inheritance among brothers. 17.2

God blesses the righteous with wealth. Wise people will be blessed.

The acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue Is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death. 21.6

The wealth of fools will not last

He who loves pleasure will become a poor man; He who loves wine and oil will not become rich. 21.17

Foolish behavior leads to poverty

A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, Favor is better than silver and gold. 22.1

Wisdom is better than wealth

The rich and the poor have a common bond, The LORD is the maker of them all. 22.2

Poverty is the result of injustice and oppression

He who oppresses the poor to make more for himself Or who gives to the rich, will only come to poverty. 22.16

Foolish behavior leads to poverty

Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens. 23.4-5

The wealth of fools will not last

The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! A lion is in the open square!” As the door turns on its hinges, So does the sluggard on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again. 26.13-15

Foolish behavior leads to poverty

Better is the poor who walks in his integrity Than he who is crooked though he be rich. 28.6

Wisdom is better than wealth

He who gives to the poor will never want, But he who shuts his eyes will have many curses. 28.27

The wealthy ought to be generous

The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor, The wicked does not understand such concern. 29.7

The wealthy ought to be generous

If a king judges the poor with truth, His throne will be established forever. 29.14

The wealthy ought to be generous

There is a kind of man whose teeth are like swords And his jaw teeth like knives, To devour the afflicted from the earth And the needy from among men. 30.14

Poverty is the result of injustice and oppression

Two things I asked of You, Do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the L ord ?” Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God. 30.7-9

Wealth has limited value

An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain. 31.10-11

Wisdom is better than wealth

She extends her hand to the poor, And she stretches out her hands to the needy. 31.20

The wealthy ought to be generous