Ganância
A ganância é raiz de todos os males. A Bíblia alerta contra a cobiça, o acúmulo egoísta e o amor ao dinheiro, chamando-nos ao contentamento e à confiança em Deus.
O amor ao dinheiro
O amor ao dinheiro é raiz de todos os males. Quem quer enriquecer cai em tentação, armadilha e desejos insensatos.
For the root of all evils is covetousness, which some men coveting erred from the faith, and besetted them with many sorrows.
For they that will be made rich, fall into temptation, and into the snare of the devil, and into many unprofitable desires and noxious, which drown men into death and perdition.
No man may serve two lords, for either he shall hate the one, and love the tother; either he shall sustain the one, and despise the other. Ye may not serve God and riches.
Therefore slay ye your members, which be on the earth, fornication, uncleanness, lechery, evil covetousness, and avarice, which is service of maumets [or simulacra];
And fornication, and all unclean-ness, or avarice, be not named among you, as it becometh holy men;
Contentamento
Tende cuidado e guardai-vos de toda espécie de ganância. A vida de um homem não consiste na abundância dos bens que possui.
And he said to them, See ye, and beware of all covetousness; for the life of a man is not in the abundance of the things, which he wieldeth.
For what profiteth it to a man, if he win all the world, and do impairing to his [own] soul?
Do not ye treasure to you treasures [here] in earth, where rust and moth destroyeth, and where thieves delve out, and steal;
but gather ye to you treasures in heaven, where neither rust nor moth destroyeth, and where thieves delve not out, nor steal.
Do not thou travail to be made rich, but set thou measure to thy prudence.
Hasted chattel [or substance], that is, gotten hastily, shall be made less; but that that is gathered little and little with hand, shall be multiplied.
Riqueza ilusória
As riquezas são passageiras. Quem ama o dinheiro nunca terá o suficiente. O contentamento com o que se tem é verdadeira riqueza.
An avaricious man shall not be [ful] filled of money; and he that loveth riches shall not take fruits of them; and therefore this is vanity.
As he went naked out of his mother’s womb, so he shall turn again; and he shall take away with him nothing of his travail.
All day he coveteth and desireth; but he that is a just [or rightwise] man, shall give, and shall not cease.
For therefore ye give tributes, they be the ministers of God, and serve for this same thing.
Bow down mine heart into thy witnessings; and not into avarice.