Before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who firmly professed his faith before Pontius Pilate, I command you

I want you to stay in Ephesus, just as I urged you when I was on my way to Macedonia. Some people there are teaching false doctrines, and you must order them to stop.

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the holy angels I solemnly call upon you to obey these instructions without showing any prejudice or favor to anyone in anything you do.

Abram was a very rich man, with sheep, goats, and cattle, as well as silver and gold.

There was a man named Job, living in the land of Uz, who worshiped God and was faithful to him. He was a good man, careful not to do anything evil.

and owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, one thousand head of cattle, and five hundred donkeys. He also had a large number of servants and was the richest man in the East.

Jesus then said to his disciples, "I assure you: it will be very hard for rich people to enter the Kingdom of heaven.

When it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea arrived; his name was Joseph, and he also was a disciple of Jesus.

There was a chief tax collector there named Zacchaeus, who was rich.

Jesus said to him, "Salvation has come to this house today, for this man, also, is a descendant of Abraham.

The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

"Just as the LORD your God promised your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he will give you a land with large and prosperous cities which you did not build.

make certain that you do not forget the LORD who rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves.

So then, you must never think that you have made yourselves wealthy by your own power and strength.

May their ancient hills be covered with choice fruit.

But when King Uzziah became strong, he grew arrogant, and that led to his downfall. He defied the LORD his God by going into the Temple to burn incense on the altar of incense.

But Hezekiah was too proud to show gratitude for what the LORD had done for him, and Judah and Jerusalem suffered for it.

Finally, however, Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem humbled themselves, and so the LORD did not punish the people until after Hezekiah's death.

The wicked are proud of their evil desires; the greedy curse and reject the LORD.

The wicked do not care about the LORD; in their pride they think that God doesn't matter.

They do not suffer as other people do; they do not have the troubles that others have.

their hearts pour out evil, and their minds are busy with wicked schemes.

They speak evil of God in heaven and give arrogant orders to everyone on earth,

If I have more, I might say that I do not need you. But if I am poor, I might steal and bring disgrace on my God.

People of Israel, listen to what I am saying. Have I been like a desert to you, like a dark and dangerous land? Why, then, do you say that you will do as you please, that you will never come back to me?

She and her daughters were proud because they had plenty to eat and lived in peace and quiet, but they did not take care of the poor and the underprivileged.

They were proud and stubborn and did the things that I hate, so I destroyed them, as you well know.

Didn't you joke about Sodom in those days when you were proud

he said, "Look how great Babylon is! I built it as my capital city to display my power and might, my glory and majesty."

He was so great that people of all nations, races, and languages were afraid of him and trembled. If he wanted to kill someone, he did; if he wanted to keep someone alive, he did. He honored or disgraced anyone he wanted to.

He was driven away from human society, and his mind became like that of an animal. He lived with wild donkeys, ate grass like an ox, and slept in the open air with nothing to protect him from the dew. Finally he admitted that the Supreme God controls all human kingdoms and can give them to anyone he chooses.

You acted against the Lord of heaven and brought in the cups and bowls taken from his Temple. You, your noblemen, your wives, and your concubines drank wine out of them and praised gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone---gods that cannot see or hear and that do not know anything. But you did not honor the God who determines whether you live or die and who controls everything you do.

But when you entered the good land, you became full and satisfied, and then you grew proud and forgot me.

The Babylonians catch people with hooks, as though they were fish. They drag them off in nets and shout for joy over their catch!

They even worship their nets and offer sacrifices to them, because their nets provide them with the best of everything.

That is true. They were broken off because they did not believe, while you remain in place because you do believe. But do not be proud of it; instead, be afraid.

Those Christians who are poor must be glad when God lifts them up,

and the rich Christians must be glad when God brings them down. For the rich will pass away like the flower of a wild plant.

Treat her exactly as she has treated you; pay her back double for all she has done. Fill her cup with a drink twice as strong as the drink she prepared for you.

Give her as much suffering and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. For she keeps telling herself: 'Here I sit, a queen! I am no widow, I will never know grief !'

I have never trusted in riches

or taken pride in my wealth.

"Look, here is someone who did not depend on God for safety, but trusted instead in great wealth and looked for security in being wicked."

Don't put your trust in violence; don't hope to gain anything by robbery; even if your riches increase, don't depend on them.

Those who depend on their wealth will fall like the leaves of autumn, but the righteous will prosper like the leaves of summer.

The LORD says, "The wise should not boast of their wisdom, nor the strong of their strength, nor the rich of their wealth.

If any want to boast, they should boast that they know and understand me, because my love is constant, and I do what is just and right. These are the things that please me. I, the LORD, have spoken."

The disciples were shocked at these words, but Jesus went on to say, "My children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God!

And he went on to say to them all, "Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because your true life is not made up of the things you own, no matter how rich you may be."

He began to think to himself, 'I don't have a place to keep all my crops. What can I do?

Then I will say to myself, Lucky man! You have all the good things you need for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself !'

And Jesus concluded, "This is how it is with those who pile up riches for themselves but are not rich in God's sight."

You may be sure that no one who is immoral, indecent, or greedy (for greed is a form of idolatry) will ever receive a share in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.

Your money can be gone in a flash, as if it had grown wings and flown away like an eagle.

because wealth is not permanent. Not even nations last forever.

Here is a terrible thing that I have seen in this world: people save up their money for a time when they may need it,

and then lose it all in some bad deal and end up with nothing left to pass on to their children.

Trust in God at all times, my people. Tell him all your troubles, for he is our refuge.

The LORD is our protector and glorious king, blessing us with kindness and honor. He does not refuse any good thing to those who do what is right.

LORD Almighty, how happy are those who trust in you!

It is better to trust in the LORD than to depend on people.

It is better to trust in the LORD than to depend on human leaders.

"But I will bless the person who puts his trust in me.

He is like a tree growing near a stream and sending out roots to the water. It is not afraid when hot weather comes, because its leaves stay green; it has no worries when there is no rain; it keeps on bearing fruit.

But if I delay, this letter will let you know how we should conduct ourselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.

We struggle and work hard, because we have placed our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all and especially of those who believe.

All those people speak about how you received us when we visited you, and how you turned away from idols to God, to serve the true and living God

You give it to them, and they eat it; you provide food, and they are satisfied.

(These are the things the pagans are always concerned about.) Your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things.

When they arrived in Antioch, they gathered the people of the church together and told them about all that God had done with them and how he had opened the way for the Gentiles to believe.

Nor does he need anything that we can supply by working for him, since it is he himself who gives life and breath and everything else to everyone.

Here is what I have found out: the best thing we can do is eat and drink and enjoy what we have worked for during the short life that God has given us; this is our fate.

If God gives us wealth and property and lets us enjoy them, we should be grateful and enjoy what we have worked for. It is a gift from God.

Christ's message in all its richness must live in your hearts. Teach and instruct one another with all wisdom. Sing psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing to God with thanksgiving in your hearts.

God poured out the Holy Spirit abundantly on us through Jesus Christ our Savior,