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22 A good reputation is better than much wealth;
    high esteem is better than silver and gold.
The rich and the poor have this in common:
    the Lord made them both.
Prudent people see trouble and hide,
    while the simpleminded go right to it and get punished.
The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord
    is wealth, honor, and life.
Thorns and nets are in the path of the crooked;
    those who guard their lives keep their distance.
Train children in the way they should go;
    when they grow old, they won’t depart from it.
The wealthy rule over the poor;
    a borrower is a slave to a lender.
Those who sow injustice will harvest evil;
    the rod of their fury will come to an end.
Happy are generous people,
    because they give some of their food to the poor.

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Warning about false teachers

If anyone teaches anything different and doesn’t agree with sound teaching about our Lord Jesus Christ and teaching that is consistent with godliness, that person is conceited. They don’t understand anything but have a sick obsession with debates and arguments. This creates jealousy, conflict, verbal abuse, and evil suspicions. There is constant bickering between people whose minds are ruined and who have been robbed of the truth. They think that godliness is a way to make money! Actually, godliness is a great source of profit when it is combined with being happy with what you already have. We didn’t bring anything into the world and so we can’t take anything out of it: we’ll be happy with food and clothing. But people who are trying to get rich fall into temptation. They are trapped by many stupid and harmful passions that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some have wandered away from the faith and have impaled themselves with a lot of pain because they made money their goal.

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Earthly and heavenly treasures

19 “Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. 20 Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don’t eat them and where thieves don’t break in and steal them. 21 Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Seeing and serving

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how terrible that darkness will be! 24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be loyal to the one and have contempt for the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

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