Proverbs 3:13-16 wisdom better than money
13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding,
14 for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.
15 She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
Proverbs 8:10-11, 18-21 Wisdom and knowledge better than riches
10 Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold,
11 for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.
18 Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver.
20 I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice,
21 granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries.
Proverbs 16:8, 16, 19
Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.
How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Proverbs 20:15 knowledge is better than wealth
There is gold and abundance of costly stones, but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.
Proverbs 22:26-27 – do not co-sign
Be not one of those who give pledges, who put up security for debts.
If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you?
Proverbs 28:11 – Wealth blunts, poverty sharpens
A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has understanding will find him out.
Proverbs 31:16a – wisely consider your purchases
She considers a field and buys it
The Danger of Debt
Lesson: it is better not to borrow money
Proverbs 22:7
The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
Hard Work Pays Off
Lesson: diligence and hard work often produces wealth
Proverbs 10:4-5 Hard work brings blessing, laziness brings shame
4 A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
Proverbs 12:11-12,27 working hard
11 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.
12 Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers, but the root of the righteous bears fruit.
27 Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth.
Proverbs 13:11
11 Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
Proverbs 14:23-24
In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty. 24 The crown of the wise is their wealth, but the folly of fools brings folly.
Proverbs 20:13 success requires hard work
Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.
Proverbs 24:30-34 – laziness can bring poverty
I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, 31 and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. 32 Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. 33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.
Proverbs 28:19-20
19 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
20 A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished
How do we properly use money?
Lesson: Honor God with your wealth by being a giver
Proverbs 3:9-10 honor God with your wealth
9 Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.
Proverbs 3:27-28 procrastination is the enemy of giving and charity
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.
28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”–when you have it with you.
Proverbs 11:24-25 give freely
24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
25 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.
Proverbs 14:21, 31
21 Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
31 Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
Proverbs 19:17 – a grateful heart gives as to the Lord
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.
Proverbs 21:13 – using money to help others
Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.
Proverbs 28:27 – giving is the righteous way
Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.
The Love of Money is the root of all kinds of evil
Lesson: Loving money results in sin
Proverbs 1:13-14 thieves and robbers
13 we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder;
14 throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse”—
Proverbs 1:19 Life is more important than money
19 Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.
Proverbs 5:8-11 sin leads to poverty
8 Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless,
10 lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner,
11 and at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed,
Proverbs 10:15 Relying on money, not God, is a sin
15 A rich man’s wealth is his strong city; the poverty of the poor is their ruin.
Proverbs 13:7-8 the fool flaunts his wealth
7 One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
8 The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth, but a poor man hears no threat.
Proverbs 18:23 a paradox of the heart
The poor use entreaties, but the rich answer roughly.
Proverbs 23:20-21 – indulging sinful appetites are an abuse of God’s blessing
Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat,
for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.
Greed and Righteousness
Lesson: God, not money, is sufficient for everlasting satisfaction.
Proverbs 3:9-10 honor God with your wealth
9 Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.
Proverbs 10:2-3 The Lord satisfies the righteous, but is against the wicked
2 Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.
3 The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
Proverbs 11:1-7, 18 Crookedness brings wrath, honesty brings deliverance
1 A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight.
2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.
3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
5 The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.
7 When the wicked dies, his hope will perish, and the expectation of wealth perishes too.
18 The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.
Proverbs 11:26-28
26 The people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.
27 Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor, but evil comes to him who searches for it.
28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
Proverbs 13:15-16, 18, 20-22
15 Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous is their ruin.
16 In everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly.
18 Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored.
20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
21 Disaster pursues sinners, but the righteous are rewarded with good.
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.
Proverbs 13:25 The righteous are satisfied in God alone
25 The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want.
Proverbs 14:21, 31
21 Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
31 Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
Proverbs 15:6, 16 – For though they have much yet it is full of trouble and care.
In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but trouble befalls the income of the wicked.
Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it.
Proverbs 15:27
Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live.
Proverbs 22:9
Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.
Proverbs 22:16
Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
Proverbs 22:22-23
Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate,
for the LORD will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them.
Proverbs 23:4-5 keep money and work in their proper place.
Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.
When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.
Proverbs 28:6 wealth is not as important as righteousness
Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.
Proverbs 28:8 – Ill-gotten gains do not prosper, after a time they pass into hands that know how to use them better.
Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.
Proverbs 28:21-22
21 To show partiality is not good, but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.
22 A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him.
The wisdom of saving
Lesson: The wise steward counts the cost and saves towards
Proverbs 6:6-8 the ant works hard in preparation
6 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.
7 Without having any chief, officer, or ruler,
8 she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.
Proverbs 10:5
5 He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
Proverbs 13:11
11 Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
Proverbs 13:22
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.
Proverbs 21:17-20 – the wisdom of saving
Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.
Proverbs 27:23-27 – Be wise and prepare carefully for the future
Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds,
24 for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations?
25 When the grass is gone and the new growth appears and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered,
26 the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field.
27 There will be enough goats’ milk for your food, for the food of your household and maintenance for your girls.
Sent to me by my friend Wayne Hetrich. November 2012
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Last edit 05.10.25