Jeremiah 9:23
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23 Thus says the Lord: Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom; do not let the mighty boast in their might; do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth;(A)
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1 Corinthians 1:27-29
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27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;(A) 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to abolish things that are, 29 so that no one[a] might boast in the presence of God.(B)
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- 1.29 Gk no flesh
Isaiah 5:21
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21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and shrewd in their own sight!(A)
Ecclesiastes 9:11
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11 Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to the skillful, but time and chance happen to them all.(A)
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1 Corinthians 3:18-20
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18 Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise.(A) 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written,
“He catches the wise in their craftiness,”(B)
20 and again,
“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise,
that they are futile.”
Romans 1:22
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22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
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Psalm 49:6-13
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6 those who trust in their wealth
and boast of the abundance of their riches?(A)
7 Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life;[a]
there is no price one can give to God for it.(B)
8 For the ransom of life is costly
and can never suffice,(C)
9 that one should live on forever
and never see the Pit.(D)
10 When we look at the wise, they die;
fool and dolt perish together
and leave their wealth to others.(E)
11 Their graves[b] are their homes forever,
their dwelling places to all generations,
though they named lands their own.(F)
12 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
they are like the animals that perish.(G)
James 3:14-16
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14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be arrogant and lie about the truth. 15 This is not wisdom that comes down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish.(A) 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.(B)
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1 Corinthians 1:19-21
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19 For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?(A) 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of the proclamation, to save those who believe.(B)
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Ezekiel 7:19
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19 They shall fling their silver into the streets;
their gold shall be treated as unclean.
Their silver and gold cannot save them on the day of the wrath of the Lord. They shall not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it. For it was the stumbling block of their iniquity.(A)
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Job 31:24-25
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24 “If I have made gold my trust
or called fine gold my confidence,(A)
25 if I have rejoiced because my wealth was great
or because my hand had gotten much,(B)
Proverbs 11:4
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4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.(A)
1 Kings 20:10-11
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10 Ben-hadad sent to him and said, “The gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria will provide a handful for each of the people who follow me.”(A) 11 The king of Israel answered, “Enough![a] One who puts on armor should not brag like one who takes it off.”(B)
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- 20.11 Gk: Heb Tell him
Acts 12:22-23
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22 The people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a mortal!” 23 And immediately, because he had not given the glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.(A)
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Daniel 4:37
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37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven,
for all his works are truth,
and his ways are justice;
he is able to bring low
those who walk in pride.(A)
Psalm 62:10
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10 Put no confidence in extortion,
and set no vain hopes on robbery;
if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.(A)
Psalm 52:6-7
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Deuteronomy 8:17
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17 Do not say to yourself, ‘My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth.’
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Amos 2:14-16
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14 Flight shall perish from the swift,
and the strong shall not retain their strength,
nor shall the mighty save their lives;(A)
15 those who handle the bow shall not stand,
and those who are swift of foot shall not save themselves,
nor shall those who ride horses save their lives;(B)
16 and those who are stout of heart among the mighty
shall flee away naked on that day,
says the Lord.(C)
1 Timothy 6:10
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10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
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Luke 12:19-20
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19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’(A) 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’(B)
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Ezekiel 28:2-9
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2 Mortal, say to the prince of Tyre: Thus says the Lord God:
Because your heart is proud
and you have said, “I am a god;
I sit in the seat of the gods,
in the heart of the seas,”
yet you are but a mortal and no god,
though you compare your mind
with the mind of a god.(A)
3 You are indeed wiser than Daniel;[a]
no secret is hidden from you;(B)
4 by your wisdom and your understanding
you have amassed wealth for yourself
and have gathered gold and silver
into your treasuries.(C)
5 By your great wisdom in trade
you have increased your wealth,
and your heart has become proud in your wealth.(D)
6 Therefore thus says the Lord God:
Because you compare your mind
with the mind of a god,(E)
7 therefore, I will bring strangers against you,
the most terrible of the nations;
they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom
and defile your splendor.(F)
8 They shall thrust you down to the Pit,
and you shall die a violent death
in the heart of the seas.(G)
9 Will you still say, “I am a god,”
in the presence of those who kill you,
though you are but a mortal and no god,
in the hands of those who pierce you?
Footnotes
- 28.3 Or Danel
Isaiah 10:12-13
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12 When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he[a] will punish the arrogant boasting of the king of Assyria and his haughty pride.(A) 13 For he says:
“By the strength of my hand I have done it,
and by my wisdom, for I have understanding;
I have removed the boundaries of peoples
and have plundered their treasures;
like a bull I have brought down those who sat on thrones.(B)
Footnotes
- 10.12 Gk: Heb I
Psalm 33:16-17
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16 A king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.(A)
17 The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
and by its great might it cannot save.(B)
Job 5:12-14
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12 He frustrates the devices of the crafty,
so that their hands achieve no success.(A)
13 He takes the wise in their own craftiness,
and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.
14 They meet with darkness in the daytime
and grope at noonday as in the night.(B)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.