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Isaiah 5:8
How terrible it will be for you who get too many houses! How terrible for you who get too many fields! Finally there won’t be any space left in the land. Then you will live all alone.
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Amos 8:4
Listen to me, you who walk all over needy people. You crush those who are poor in the land.
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Jeremiah 22:17
“ Jehoiakim, the only thing on your mind is to get rich by cheating others. You would even kill people who are not guilty of doing anything wrong. You would mistreat them. You would take everything they own.”
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Ezekiel 22:12
You accept money from people who want special favors. You do this to spill someone’s blood. You charge interest to poor people when you lend them money. You make money from them. You get rich by cheating your neighbors. And you have forgotten me,” announces the Lord and King.
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Job 31:38
“ Suppose my land cries out against me. And all its soil is wet with tears.
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1 Timothy 6 10
Love for money causes all kinds of evil. Some people want to get rich. They have wandered away from the faith. They have wounded themselves with many sorrows.
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Malachi 3:5
“ So I will come and put you on trial. I will be quick to bring charges against all of you,” says the Lord who rules over all.“ I will bring charges against you sinful people who do not have any respect for me. That includes those who practice evil magic. It includes those who commit adultery and those who tell lies in court. It includes those who cheat workers out of their pay. It includes those who treat widows badly. It also includes those who mistreat children whose fathers have died. And it includes those who take away the rights of outsiders in the courts.
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2 Kings 9 26
‘ Yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons. You can be sure that I will make you pay for it on this piece of land.’ So pick Joram up. Throw him on that piece of land. That’s what the Lord said would happen.”
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Exodus 20:17
“ Do not want to have anything your neighbor owns. Do not want to have your neighbor’s house, wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey.”
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1 Kings 21 2-1 Kings 21 19
Ahab said to Naboth,“ Let me have your vineyard. It’s close to my palace. I want to use it for a vegetable garden. I’ll trade you a better vineyard for it. Or, if you prefer, I’ll pay you what it’s worth.”But Naboth replied,“ May the Lord keep me from giving you the land my family handed down to me.”So Ahab went home. He was angry. He was in a bad mood because of what Naboth from Jezreel had said. He had told Ahab,“ I won’t give you the land my family handed down to me.” So Ahab lay on his bed. He was in a very bad mood. He wouldn’t even eat anything.His wife Jezebel came in. She asked him,“ Why are you in such a bad mood? Why won’t you eat anything?”He answered her,“ Because I spoke to Naboth from Jezreel. I said,‘ Sell me your vineyard. Or, if you prefer, I’ll give you another vineyard in its place.’ But he said,‘ I won’t sell you my vineyard.’ ”His wife Jezebel said,“ Is this how the king of Israel acts? Get up! Eat something! Cheer up. I’ll get you the vineyard of Naboth from Jezreel.”So she wrote some letters in Ahab’s name. She stamped them with his royal seal. Then she sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in the city where Naboth lived.In those letters she wrote,“ Announce a day when people are supposed to go without eating. Have Naboth sit in an important place among the people.But put two worthless and evil men in seats across from him. Have them bring charges that he has cursed God and the king. Then take him out of the city. Kill him by throwing stones at him.”So the elders and nobles who lived in that city did what Jezebel wanted. They did everything she directed in the letters she had written to them.They announced a day of fasting. They had Naboth sit in an important place among the people.Then two worthless and evil men came and sat across from him. They brought charges against Naboth in front of the people. The two men said,“ Naboth has cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city. They killed him by throwing stones at him.Then they sent a message to Jezebel. They said,“ Naboth is dead. We killed him by throwing stones at him.”Jezebel heard that Naboth had been killed. As soon as she heard it, she said to Ahab,“ Get up. Take over the vineyard of Naboth from Jezreel. It’s the one he wouldn’t sell to you. He isn’t alive anymore. He’s dead.”Ahab heard that Naboth was dead. So Ahab got up and went down to take over Naboth’s vineyard.Then a message from the Lord came to Elijah, who was from Tishbe. The Lord said,“ Go down to see Ahab, the king of Israel. He rules in Samaria. You will find him in Naboth’s vineyard. Ahab has gone there to take it over.Tell him,‘ The Lord says,“ Haven’t you murdered a man? Haven’t you taken over his property?” ’ Then tell Ahab,‘ The Lord says,“ Dogs licked up Naboth’s blood. In that same place dogs will lick up your blood. Yes, I said your blood!” ’ ”
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1 Samuel 12 3-1 Samuel 12 4
Here I stand. Bring charges against me if you can. The Lord is a witness. And so is his anointed king. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Have I cheated anyone? Have I treated anyone badly? Have I accepted money from anyone who wanted special favors? If I’ve done any of these things, I’ll make it right.”“ You haven’t cheated us,” they replied.“ You haven’t treated us badly. You haven’t taken anything from anyone.”
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Habakkuk 2:5-9
“ Wine makes the Babylonians do foolish things. They are proud. They never rest. Like the grave, they are always hungry for more. Like death, they are never satisfied. They gather all the nations to themselves. They take all those people away as prisoners.“ Won’t those people laugh at the Babylonians? Won’t they make fun of them? They will say to them,“‘ How terrible it will be for you who pile up stolen goods! You get rich by cheating others. How long will this go on?’Those you owe money to will suddenly rise up. They will wake up and make you tremble with fear. Then they will take away everything you have.You have robbed many nations. So the nations that are left will rob you. You have spilled human blood. You have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.“ How terrible it will be for the Babylonians! They build their kingdom with money that they gained by cheating others. They have tried to make the kingdom as secure as possible. After all, they did not want to be destroyed.
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Nehemiah 5:1-5
Some men and their wives cried out against their Jewish brothers and sisters.Some of them were saying,“ There are now many of us. We have many sons and daughters. We have to get some grain so we can eat and stay alive.”Others were saying,“ We’re being forced to sell our fields, vineyards and homes. We have to do it to buy grain. There isn’t enough food for everyone.”Still others were saying,“ We’ve had to borrow money. We needed it to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.We belong to the same family lines as the rest of our people. Our children are as good as theirs. But we’ve had to sell them off as slaves. Some of our daughters have already been made slaves. But we can’t do anything about it. That’s because our fields and vineyards now belong to others.”
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Ezekiel 18:12
He treats poor and needy people badly. He steals. He does not pay back what he owes. He worships statues of gods. He does other things I hate.
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Job 24:2-12
People move their neighbor’s boundary stones. They steal their neighbor’s flocks.They take away the donkeys that belong to children whose fathers have died. They take a widow’s ox until she has paid what she owes.They push those who are needy out of their way. They force all the poor people in the land to go into hiding.The poor are like wild donkeys in the desert. They have to go around looking for food. The dry and empty land provides the only food for their children.The poor go to the fields and get a little grain. They gather up what is left in the vineyards of sinners.The poor don’t have any clothes. So they spend the night naked. They don’t have anything to cover themselves in the cold.They are soaked by mountain rains. They hug the rocks because they don’t have anything to keep them warm.Children whose fathers have died are torn away from their mothers. A poor person’s baby is taken away to pay back what is owed.The poor don’t have any clothes. They go around naked. They carry bundles of grain, but they still go hungry.They work very hard as they crush olives. They stomp on grapes in winepresses, but they are still thirsty.The groans of those who are dying are heard from the city. Those who are wounded cry out for help. But God doesn’t charge anyone with doing what is wrong.
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Micah 3:9
Listen to me, you leaders of Jacob’s people! Pay attention, you rulers of Israel! You hate to do what is fair. You twist everything that is right.
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Matthew 23:13
“ How terrible it will be for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You pretenders! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter. And you will not let those enter who are trying to.
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Exodus 22:21-24
“ Do not treat outsiders badly. Do not give them a hard time. Remember, you were outsiders in Egypt.“ Do not take advantage of widows. Do not take advantage of children whose fathers have died.If you do, they might cry out to me. I will certainly hear them.And I will get angry. I will kill you with a sword. Your wives will become widows. Your children’s fathers will die.