1. Hebrew Bible, Job, 1.21 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 1.21. וַיֹּאמֶר עָרֹם יצתי [יָצָאתִי] מִבֶּטֶן אִמִּי וְעָרֹם אָשׁוּב שָׁמָה יְהוָה נָתַן וַיהוָה לָקָח יְהִי שֵׁם יְהוָה מְבֹרָךְ׃ | 1.21. And he said; Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return thither; The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD." |
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2. Hebrew Bible, Proverbs, 11.7, 23.4-23.5, 27.23-27.24 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 11.7. בְּמוֹת אָדָם רָשָׁע תֹּאבַד תִּקְוָה וְתוֹחֶלֶת אוֹנִים אָבָדָה׃ 23.4. אַל־תִּיגַע לְהַעֲשִׁיר מִבִּינָתְךָ חֲדָל׃ 23.5. התעוף [הֲתָעִיף] עֵינֶיךָ בּוֹ וְאֵינֶנּוּ כִּי עָשֹׂה יַעֲשֶׂה־לּוֹ כְנָפַיִם כְּנֶשֶׁר ועיף [יָעוּף] הַשָּׁמָיִם׃ 27.23. יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע פְּנֵי צֹאנֶךָ שִׁית לִבְּךָ לַעֲדָרִים׃ 27.24. כִּי לֹא לְעוֹלָם חֹסֶן וְאִם־נֵזֶר לְדוֹר דור [וָדוֹר׃] | 11.7. When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish, And the hope of strength perisheth." 23.4. Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom. ." 23.5. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon it? it is gone; For riches certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven." 27.23. Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, And look well to thy herds;" 27.24. For riches are not for ever; And doth the crown endure unto all generations?" |
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3. Hebrew Bible, Psalms, 49.16-49.17 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 49.16. אַךְ־אֱלֹהִים יִפְדֶּה נַפְשִׁי מִיַּד־שְׁאוֹל כִּי יִקָּחֵנִי סֶלָה׃ 49.17. אַל־תִּירָא כִּי־יַעֲשִׁר אִישׁ כִּי־יִרְבֶּה כְּבוֹד בֵּיתוֹ׃ | 49.16. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the nether-world; For He shall receive me. Selah" 49.17. Be not thou afraid when one waxeth rich, When the wealth of his house is increased;" |
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4. Hebrew Bible, 1 Kings, 3.7, 3.9 (8th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 3.7. וְעַתָּה יְהוָה אֱלֹהָי אַתָּה הִמְלַכְתָּ אֶת־עַבְדְּךָ תַּחַת דָּוִד אָבִי וְאָנֹכִי נַעַר קָטֹן לֹא אֵדַע צֵאת וָבֹא׃ 3.9. וְנָתַתָּ לְעַבְדְּךָ לֵב שֹׁמֵעַ לִשְׁפֹּט אֶת־עַמְּךָ לְהָבִין בֵּין־טוֹב לְרָע כִּי מִי יוּכַל לִשְׁפֹּט אֶת־עַמְּךָ הַכָּבֵד הַזֶּה׃ | 3.7. And now, O LORD my God, Thou hast made Thy servant king instead of David my father; and I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in." 3.9. Give Thy servant therefore an understanding heart to judge Thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this Thy great people?’" |
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5. Hebrew Bible, Judges, 1.1 (8th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 1.1. וַיֵּלֶךְ יְהוּדָה אֶל־הַכְּנַעֲנִי הַיּוֹשֵׁב בְּחֶבְרוֹן וְשֵׁם־חֶבְרוֹן לְפָנִים קִרְיַת אַרְבַּע וַיַּכּוּ אֶת־שֵׁשַׁי וְאֶת־אֲחִימַן וְאֶת־תַּלְמָי׃ 1.1. וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי מוֹת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּיהוָה לֵאמֹר מִי יַעֲלֶה־לָּנוּ אֶל־הַכְּנַעֲנִי בַּתְּחִלָּה לְהִלָּחֶם בּוֹ׃ | 1.1. Now after the death of Yehoshua it came to pass, that the children of Yisra᾽el asked the Lord, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Kena῾ani first, to fight against them?" |
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6. Hebrew Bible, Ecclesiastes, 9.12 (5th cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
| 9.12. כִּי גַּם לֹא־יֵדַע הָאָדָם אֶת־עִתּוֹ כַּדָּגִים שֶׁנֶּאֱחָזִים בִּמְצוֹדָה רָעָה וְכַצִּפֳּרִים הָאֲחֻזוֹת בַּפָּח כָּהֵם יוּקָשִׁים בְּנֵי הָאָדָם לְעֵת רָעָה כְּשֶׁתִּפּוֹל עֲלֵיהֶם פִּתְאֹם׃ | 9.12. For man also knoweth not his time; as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them." |
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7. Anon., 1 Enoch, 94.8 (3rd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
| 94.8. Woe to you, ye rich, for ye have trusted in your riches, And from your riches shall ye depart, Because ye have not remembered the Most High in the days of your riches. |
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8. Septuagint, Ecclesiasticus (Siracides), 5.8, 10.9-10.18, 11.18-11.19, 14.16, 19.2-19.3, 31.1-31.7 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
| 5.8. Do not depend on dishonest wealth,for it will not benefit you in the day of calamity. 5.8. For there is a friend who is such at his own convenience,but will not stand by you in your day of trouble. 10.9. How can he who is dust and ashes be proud?for even in life his bowels decay. 10.9. Do not argue about a matter which does not concern you,nor sit with sinners when they judge a case. 10.11. For when a man is dead,he will inherit creeping things, and wild beasts, and worms. 10.11. There is a man who works, and toils, and presses on,but is so much the more in want. 10.12. The beginning of mans pride is to depart from the Lord;his heart has forsaken his Maker. 10.12. There is another who is slow and needs help,who lacks strength and abounds in poverty;but the eyes of the Lord look upon him for his good;he lifts him out of his low estate 10.13. For the beginning of pride is sin,and the man who clings to it pours out abominations. Therefore the Lord brought upon them extraordinary afflictions,and destroyed them utterly. 10.13. and raises up his head,so that many are amazed at him. 10.14. The Lord has cast down the thrones of rulers,and has seated the lowly in their place. 10.14. Good things and bad, life and death,poverty and wealth, come from the Lord. 10.15. The Lord has plucked up the roots of the nations,and has planted the humble in their place. 10.16. The Lord has overthrown the lands of the nations,and has destroyed them to the foundations of the earth. 10.17. He has removed some of them and destroyed them,and has extinguished the memory of them from the earth. 10.17. The gift of the Lord endures for those who are godly,and what he approves will have lasting success. 10.18. Pride was not created for men,nor fierce anger for those born of women. 10.18. There is a man who is rich through his diligence and self-denial,and this is the reward allotted to him: 14.16. Give, and take, and beguile yourself,because in Hades one cannot look for luxury. 19.2. Wine and women lead intelligent men astray,and the man who consorts with harlots is very reckless. 19.2. All wisdom is the fear of the Lord,and in all wisdom there is the fulfilment of the law. 19.3. Decay and worms will inherit him,and the reckless soul will be snatched away. 19.3. A mans attire and open-mouthed laughter,and a mans manner of walking, show what he is. 31.1. Wakefulness over wealth wastes away ones flesh,and anxiety about it removes sleep. 31.1. Who has been tested by it and been found perfect?Let it be for him a ground for boasting. Who has had the power to transgress and did not transgress,and to do evil and did not do it? 31.2. Wakeful anxiety prevents slumber,and a severe illness carries off sleep. 31.2. Healthy sleep depends on moderate eating;he rises early, and feels fit. The distress of sleeplessness and of nausea and colic are with the glutton. 31.3. The rich man toils as his wealth accumulates,and when he rests he fills himself with his dainties. 31.3. Drunkenness increases the anger of a fool to his injury,reducing his strength and adding wounds. 31.4. The poor man toils as his livelihood diminishes,and when he rests he becomes needy. 31.5. He who loves gold will not be justified,and he who pursues money will be led astray by it. 31.6. Many have come to ruin because of gold,and their destruction has met them face to face. 31.7. It is a stumbling block to those who are devoted to it,and every fool will be taken captive by it. |
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9. Septuagint, Wisdom of Solomon, 7.6 (2nd cent. BCE - 1st cent. BCE)
| 7.6. there is for all mankind one entrance into life, and a common departure. |
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10. New Testament, 1 Timothy, 6.7 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 6.7. For we brought nothing into the world, and we certainly can't carry anything out. |
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11. Seneca The Younger, Letters, 102.25 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
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12. Pseudo-Phocylides, The Sentences of Pseudo-Phocylides, 110
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