Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” | Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” |
Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by labor will increase. | Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time. |
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But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. | But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. |
The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it. | The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. |
Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! | Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. |
He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity. | Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! |
Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase. | Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. |
Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, Than great treasure with trouble. | Better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil. |
And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” | Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” |
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. | Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. |
Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. | Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority. |
How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. | How much better to get wisdom than gold, and good judgment than silver! |
But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You. | But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! |
Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. | Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. |
His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ | The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ |
Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches— Feed me with the food allotted to me. | First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. |
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. | For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. |
What is desired in a man is kindness, And a poor man is better than a liar. | Loyalty makes a person attractive. It is better to be poor than dishonest. |
A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the Lord upholds the righteous. | It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich. For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the godly. |
For the Lord your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you. | The Lord your God will bless you as he has promised. You will lend money to many nations but will never need to borrow. You will rule many nations, but they will not rule over you. |
A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold. | Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold. |
Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven. | In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle. |
For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. | Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. |
Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death. | Riches won’t help on the day of judgment, but right living can save you from death. |
The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, And like a high wall in his own esteem. | The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense; they imagine it to be a high wall of safety. |