1. Hebrew Bible, Esther, 5.6, 7.2, 7.7-7.8 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 5.6. וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ לְאֶסְתֵּר בְּמִשְׁתֵּה הַיַּיִן מַה־שְּׁאֵלָתֵךְ וְיִנָּתֵן לָךְ וּמַה־בַּקָּשָׁתֵךְ עַד־חֲצִי הַמַּלְכוּת וְתֵעָשׂ׃ 7.2. וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ לְאֶסְתֵּר גַּם בַּיּוֹם הַשֵּׁנִי בְּמִשְׁתֵּה הַיַּיִן מַה־שְּׁאֵלָתֵךְ אֶסְתֵּר הַמַּלְכָּה וְתִנָּתֵן לָךְ וּמַה־בַּקָּשָׁתֵךְ עַד־חֲצִי הַמַּלְכוּת וְתֵעָשׂ׃ 7.7. וְהַמֶּלֶךְ קָם בַּחֲמָתוֹ מִמִּשְׁתֵּה הַיַּיִן אֶל־גִּנַּת הַבִּיתָן וְהָמָן עָמַד לְבַקֵּשׁ עַל־נַפְשׁוֹ מֵאֶסְתֵּר הַמַּלְכָּה כִּי רָאָה כִּי־כָלְתָה אֵלָיו הָרָעָה מֵאֵת הַמֶּלֶךְ׃ 7.8. וְהַמֶּלֶךְ שָׁב מִגִּנַּת הַבִּיתָן אֶל־בֵּית מִשְׁתֵּה הַיַּיִן וְהָמָן נֹפֵל עַל־הַמִּטָּה אֲשֶׁר אֶסְתֵּר עָלֶיהָ וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ הֲגַם לִכְבּוֹשׁ אֶת־הַמַּלְכָּה עִמִּי בַּבָּיִת הַדָּבָר יָצָא מִפִּי הַמֶּלֶךְ וּפְנֵי הָמָן חָפוּ׃ | 5.6. And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine: ‘Whatever thy petition, it shall be granted thee; and whatever thy request, even to the half of the kingdom, it shall be performed.’" 7.2. And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine: ‘Whatever thy petition, queen Esther, it shall be granted thee; and whatever thy request, even to the half of the kingdom, it shall be performed.’" 7.7. And the king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into the palace garden; but Haman remained to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king." 7.8. Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the couch whereon Esther was. Then said the king: ‘Will he even force the queen before me in the house?’ As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face." |
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2. 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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3. Hebrew Bible, Proverbs, 11.7, 23.4-23.5, 23.29, 24.19, 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׃ 23.29. לְמִי אוֹי לְמִי אֲבוֹי לְמִי מדונים [מִדְיָנִים ] לְמִי שִׂיחַ לְמִי פְּצָעִים חִנָּם לְמִי חַכְלִלוּת עֵינָיִם׃ 24.19. אַל־תִּתְחַר בַּמְּרֵעִים אַל־תְּקַנֵּא בָּרְשָׁעִים׃ 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." 23.29. Who crieth: ‘Woe’? who: ‘Alas’? Who hath contentions? who hath raving? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?" 24.19. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, Neither be thou envious at the wicked;" 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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4. 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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5. Hebrew Bible, Ecclesiastes, 5.15 (5th cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
| 5.15. וְגַם־זֹה רָעָה חוֹלָה כָּל־עֻמַּת שֶׁבָּא כֵּן יֵלֵךְ וּמַה־יִּתְרוֹן לוֹ שֶׁיַּעֲמֹל לָרוּחַ׃ | 5.15. And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go; and what profit hath he that he laboureth for the wind?" |
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6. Anon., 1 Enoch, 94.7-94.9, 97.8-97.10 (3rd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
| 94.7. Woe to those who build their houses with sin; For from all their foundations shall they be overthrown, And by the sword shall they fall. [And those who acquire gold and silver in judgement suddenly shall perish.] 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. 94.9. Ye have committed blasphemy and unrighteousness, And have become ready for the day of slaughter, And the day of darkness and the day of the great judgement. 97.8. Woe to you who acquire silver and gold in unrighteousness and say: ' We have become rich with riches and have possessions; And have acquired everything we have desired. 97.9. And now let us do what we purposed: For we have gathered silver |
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7. Septuagint, Ecclesiasticus (Siracides), 5.8, 6.16, 10.9-10.18, 11.18-11.19, 14.16, 19.3, 31.1-31.7, 31.25-31.31, 32.5-32.6, 40.20 (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. 19.3. 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. 31.25. Do not aim to be valiant over wine,for wine has destroyed many. 31.26. Fire and water prove the temper of steel,so wine tests hearts in the strife of the proud. 31.27. Wine is like life to men,if you drink it in moderation. What is life to a man who is without wine?It has been created to make men glad. 31.28. Wine drunk in season and temperately is rejoicing of heart and gladness of soul. 31.29. Wine drunk to excess is bitterness of soul,with provocation and stumbling. 31.31. Do not reprove your neighbor at a banquet of wine,and do not despise him in his merrymaking;speak no word of reproach to him,and do not afflict him by making demands of him. 32.5. A ruby seal in a setting of gold is a concert of music at a banquet of wine. 32.6. A seal of emerald in a rich setting of gold is the melody of music with good wine. |
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8. Septuagint, Wisdom of Solomon, 2.7 (2nd cent. BCE - 1st cent. BCE)
| 2.7. Let us take our fill of costly wine and perfumes,and let no flower of spring pass by us. |
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9. Mishnah, Avot, 1.13 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 1.13. He [also] used to say: one who makes his name great causes his name to be destroyed; one who does not add [to his knowledge] causes [it] to cease; one who does not study [the Torah] deserves death; on who makes [unworthy] use of the crown [of learning] shall pass away." |
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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. Anon., Genesis Rabba, 22.6 (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
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13. Pseudo-Phocylides, The Sentences of Pseudo-Phocylides, 110
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