101 Proverbs about Money

The Bible has the answers to all of the problems in life. Please read these 101 Proverbs about money. If you are having financial problems, write down 10 verses that apply to your situation to use money wisely and put them into practice in your life.

MONEY MAKES A GOOD SERVANT
BUT A TERRIBLE MASTER

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. (2 Peter 1:3)

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The Real Riches of Wisdom and Knowledge are better than Money

if indeed you call out for insight, if you ask aloud for understanding, if you search for wisdom as if it were money and hunt for it as if it were hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and you will find the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:3-5)

Blessed is the one who finds wisdom and the one who obtains understanding. The profit [gained] from [wisdom] is greater than the profit [gained] from silver. Its yield is better than fine gold. (Proverbs 3:13,14)

Take my discipline, not silver, and my knowledge rather than fine gold, because wisdom is better than jewels. Nothing you desire can equal it. (Proverbs 8:10,11)

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)

Better to have a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and turmoil. (Proverbs 15:16)

Better a few [possessions] gained honestly than many gained through injustice. (Proverbs 16:8)

How much better it is to gain wisdom than gold, and the gaining of understanding should be chosen over silver. (Proverbs 16:16)

Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom when he doesn’t have a mind to grasp anything? (Proverbs 17:16)

There are gold and plenty of jewels, but the lips of knowledge are precious gems. (Proverbs 20:15)

The Real Value of Working Hard

Consider the ant, you lazy bum. Watch its ways, and become wise. Although it has no overseer, officer, or ruler, in summertime it stores its food supply. At harvest time it gathers its food. (Proverbs 6:6-8)

“Just a little sleep, just a little slumber, just a little nap.” Then your poverty will come [to you] like a drifter, and your need will come [to you] like a bandit. (Proverbs 6:10,11)

Lazy hands bring poverty, but hard-working hands bring riches. (Proverbs 10:4)

Whoever gathers in the summer is a wise son. Whoever sleeps at harvest time brings shame. (Proverbs 10:5)

Whoever works his land will have plenty to eat, but the one who chases unrealistic dreams has no sense. (Proverbs 12:11)

A lazy person craves food and there is none, but the appetite of hard-working people is satisfied. (Proverbs 13:4)

Wealth [gained] through injustice dwindles away, but whoever gathers little by little has plenty. (Proverbs 13:11)

In hard work there is always something gained, but idle talk leads only to poverty. (Proverbs 14:23)

Do not love sleep or you will end up poor. Keep your eyes open, and you will have plenty to eat. (Proverbs 20:13)

The plans of a hard-working person lead to prosperity, but everyone who is [always] in a hurry ends up in poverty. (Proverbs 21:5)

[Like] many people who destroy everything, so is one who hires fools or drifters. (Proverbs 26:10)

“Just a little sleep, just a little slumber, just a little nap.” Then your poverty will come like a drifter, and your need will come like a bandit. (Proverbs 24:33,34)

Whoever works his land will have plenty to eat. Whoever chases unrealistic dreams will have plenty of nothing. A trustworthy person has many blessings, but anyone in a hurry to get rich will not escape punishment. (Proverbs 28:19-20)

Godly Perspective on Wealth and Money

One person pretends to be rich but has nothing. Another pretends to be poor but has great wealth. (Proverbs 13:7)

A person’s riches are the ransom for his life, but the poor person does not pay attention to threats. (Proverbs 13:8)

When poor people are able to plow, there is much food, but a person is swept away where there is no justice. (Proverbs 13:23)

A poor person is hated even by his neighbor, but a rich person is loved by many. (Proverbs 14:20)

Whoever makes fun of a poor person insults his maker. Whoever is happy [to see someone’s] distress will not escape punishment. (Proverbs 17:5)

A rich person’s wealth is his strong city and is like a high wall in his imagination. (Proverbs 18:11)

A poor person is timid when begging, but a rich person is blunt when replying. (Proverbs 18:23)

The entire family of a poor person hates him. How much more do his friends keep their distance from him! When he chases them with words, they are gone. (Proverbs 19:7)

Whoever loves pleasure will become poor. Whoever loves wine and expensive food will not become rich. (Proverbs 21:17)

The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD is the maker of them all. (Proverbs 22:2)

A poor person who oppresses poorer people is like a driving rain that leaves no food. (Proverbs 28:3)

Better to be a poor person who has integrity than to be rich and double-dealing. (Proverbs 28:6)

A rich person is wise in his own eyes, but a poor person with understanding sees right through him. (Proverbs 28:11)

Godly Warnings against Greed

This is what happens to everyone who is greedy for unjust gain. Greed takes away his life. (Proverbs 1:19)

Whoever is greedy for unjust gain brings trouble to his family, but whoever hates bribes will live. (Proverbs 15:27)

Oppressing the poor for profit [or] giving to the rich certainly leads to poverty. (Proverbs 22:16)

Do not rob the poor because they are poor or trample on the rights of an oppressed person at the city gate, because the LORD will plead their case and will take the lives of those who rob them. (Proverbs 22:22-23)

Do not wear yourself out getting rich. Be smart enough to stop. (Proverbs 23:4)

Whoever becomes wealthy through [unfair] loans and interest collects them for the one who is kind to the poor. (Proverbs 28:8)

A trustworthy person has many blessings, but anyone in a hurry to get rich will not escape punishment. (Proverbs 28:20)

A stingy person is in a hurry to get rich, not realizing that poverty is about to overtake him. (Proverbs 28:22)

A greedy person stirs up a fight, but whoever trusts the LORD prospers. (Proverbs 28:25)

Warning Against Trusting in Uncertain Riches of Money

Trust the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths smooth. (Proverbs 3:5,6)

People will curse the one who hoards grain, but a blessing will be upon the head of the one who sells it. (Proverbs 11:26)

Whoever trusts his riches will fall, but righteous people will flourish like a green leaf. (Proverbs 11:28)

Home and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a sensible wife comes from the LORD. (Proverbs 19:14)

“I’ve asked you for two things. Don’t keep them from me before I die: Keep vanity and lies far away from me. Don’t give me either poverty or riches. Feed me [only] the food I need, or I may feel satisfied and deny you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ or I may become poor and steal and give the name of my God a bad reputation. (Proverbs 30:7-9)

The Importance of Helping the Poor

Do not hold back anything good from those who are entitled to it when you have the power to do so. (Proverbs 3:27)

One person spends freely and yet grows richer, while another holds back what he owes and yet grows poorer. (Proverbs 11:24)

A generous person will be made rich, and whoever satisfies others will himself be satisfied. (Proverbs 11:25)

Whoever despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is the one who is kind to humble people. (Proverbs 14:21)

Whoever oppresses the poor insults his maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors him. (Proverbs 14:31)

Whoever has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his good deed. (Proverbs 19:17)

Whoever is generous will be blessed because he has shared his food with the poor. (Proverbs 22:9)

Whoever gives to the poor lacks nothing. Whoever ignores the poor receives many curses. (Proverbs 28:27)

The Blessing of Permanent Godly Wealth

Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first and best part of all your income. Then your barns will be full, and your vats will overflow with fresh wine. (Proverbs 3:9,10)

I have riches and honor, lasting wealth and righteousness. What I produce is better than gold, pure gold. What I yield is better than fine silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, on the paths of justice, to give an inheritance to those who love me and to fill their treasuries. (Proverbs 8:18-21)

It is the LORD’s blessing that makes a person rich, and hard work adds nothing to it. (Proverbs 10:22)

The crown of wise people is their wealth. The stupidity of fools is just that-stupidity! (Proverbs 14:24)

Wealth adds many friends, but a poor person is separated from his friend. (Proverbs 19:4)

Those who gather wealth by lying are wasting time. They are looking for death. (Proverbs 21:6)

On the heels of humility (the fear of the LORD) are riches and honor and life. (Proverbs 22:4)

Will you catch only a fleeting glimpse of wealth before it is gone? It makes wings for itself like an eagle flying into the sky. (Proverbs 23:5)

Warnings Against Debt and Lending Money

Whoever guarantees a stranger’s loan will get into trouble, but whoever hates the closing of a deal remains secure. (Proverbs 11:15)

A person without good sense closes a deal with a handshake. He guarantees a loan in the presence of his friend. (Proverbs 17:18)

A rich person rules poor people, and a borrower is a slave to a lender. (Proverbs 22:7)

Do not be [found] among those who make deals with a handshake, among those who guarantee other people’s loans. If you have no money to pay back a loan, why should your bed be repossessed? (Proverbs 22:26,27)

Hold on to the garment of one who guarantees a stranger’s loan, and hold responsible the person who makes a loan in behalf of a foreigner. (Proverbs 27:13)

Instruction in Stewardship of Money and Investments

A righteous person’s reward is life. A wicked person’s harvest is sin. (Proverbs 10:16)

Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the wealth of sinners is stored away for a righteous person. (Proverbs 13:22)

An inheritance quickly obtained in the beginning will never be blessed in the end. (Proverbs 20:21)

Be fully aware of the condition of your flock, and pay close attention to your herds. Wealth is not forever. Nor does a crown last from one generation to the next. (Proverbs 27:23,24)

“She picks out a field and buys it. She plants a vineyard from the profits she has earned. (Proverbs 31:16)

She opens her hands to oppressed people and stretches them out to needy people. (Proverbs 31:20)

Encouragement to Righteous Living

Treasures gained dishonestly profit no one, but righteousness rescues from death. (Proverbs 10:2)

Riches are of no help on the day of fury, but righteousness saves from death. (Proverbs 11:4)

A wicked person earns dishonest wages, but whoever spreads righteousness earns honest pay. (Proverbs 11:18)

Disaster hunts down sinners, but righteous people are rewarded with good. (Proverbs 13:21)

Great treasure is in the house of a righteous person, but trouble comes along with the income of a wicked person. (Proverbs 15:6)

The crucible is for refining silver and the smelter for gold, but the one who purifies hearts [by fire] is the LORD. (Proverbs 17:3)

Better to be a poor person who lives innocently than to be one who talks dishonestly and is a fool. (Proverbs 19:1)

A good name is more desirable than great wealth. Respect is better than silver or gold. (Proverbs 22:1)

With thanks and appreciation for:

• What Does the Bible Say About Money Problems
• 101 Biblical Proverbs About Money
• 101 Bible Verses About Money
• 30 Bible Verses about Money