Bible Verses About Covetousness: General references

“If I have made gold my hope, and have said to the fine gold, ‘You are my confidence;’

If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had gotten much;

The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.

There are those who covet greedily all day long; but the righteous give and don’t withhold.

Don’t weary yourself to be rich. In your wisdom, show restraint.

Why do you set your eyes on that which is not? For it certainly sprouts wings like an eagle and flies in the sky.

Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me;

lest I be full, deny you, and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

“Vanity of vanities,” says Kohelet; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

What does man gain from all his labor in which he labors under the sun?

One generation goes, and another generation comes; but the earth remains forever.

The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hurries to its place where it rises.

The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north. It turns around continually as it goes, and the wind returns again to its courses.

All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.

All things are full of weariness beyond uttering. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase: this also is vanity.

When goods increase, those who eat them are increased; and what advantage is there to its owner, except to feast on them with his eyes?

In you have they taken bribes to shed blood; you have taken interest and increase, and you have greedily gained of your neighbors by oppression, and have forgotten me, says the Lord GOD.

Behold, therefore, I have struck my hand at your dishonest gain which you have made, and at your blood which has been in your midst.

He takes up all of them with the hook. He catches them in his net, and gathers them in his dragnet. Therefore he rejoices and is glad.

Therefore he sacrifices to his net, and burns incense to his dragnet, because by them his life is luxurious, and his food is good.

Yes, moreover, wine is treacherous. A haughty man who doesn’t stay at home, who enlarges his desire as Sheol, and he is like death, and can’t be satisfied, but gathers to himself all nations, and heaps to himself all peoples.

Won’t all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, ‘Woe to him who increases that which is not his, and who enriches himself by extortion! How long?’

Won’t your debtors rise up suddenly, and wake up those who make you tremble, and you will be their victim?

Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples will plunder you, because of men’s blood, and for the violence done to the land, to the city and to all who dwell in it.