Thematic Bible: Business life


Thematic Bible



Then Moses was very angry and said unto the LORD, Look not thou upon their offering; I have not taken so much as one ass from them, neither have I done evil to any of them.

Moreover they did not require accounts from the men into whose hands they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen, for they dealt faithfully.

And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us nor oppressed us; neither hast thou taken anything of any man's hand.

And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in my hand, yet I would not put forth my hand against the king's son, for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that no one touch the young man Absalom.

But the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thy house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place,

But he said, As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it, but he refused.

and there is to be no accounting required of those unto whom the money is delivered because they deal faithfully.

But the former captains that had been before me had charged the people and had taken of them for bread and wine, upon forty shekels of silver; and in addition to this their servants bore rule over the people; but I did not do so because of the fear of God.

Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man.






It is bad, it is bad, the buyer says; but when he is gone his way, then he boasts.




Woe unto him that builds his house and not in righteousness and his chambers and not in judgment, using his neighbour's service without wages and not giving him the wages of his work!




He that tills his land shall be satisfied with bread, but he that follows vain persons is void of understanding.





Daleth She sought wool and flax and worked willingly with her hands.




Woe unto him that builds his house and not in righteousness and his chambers and not in judgment, using his neighbour's service without wages and not giving him the wages of his work!

Better is a little with righteousness than a great number of fruits with injustice.


He that by usury and unjust gain increases his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.

Behold, therefore I have smitten my hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made and at thy blood which has been in the midst of thee.




Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in measurement of land, in weight, or in other measure. Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin shall ye have. I AM your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have, that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD thy God gives thee.

Not repaying anyone evil for evil; procuring that which is good not only in the sight of God, but even in the sight of all men.


providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.





Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin shall ye have. I AM your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.






And it came to pass that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these slaves to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much each one had gained by trading.

besides what he had from the merchantmen and from the trade of the spice merchants and from all the kings of Arabia and from the princes of the land.

he cropped off the principal shoot and carried it into a land of markets; he set it in the city of the merchants.

It is bad, it is bad, the buyer says; but when he is gone his way, then he boasts.

And ye shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein and take you possessions therein.

and bring your youngest brother unto me; then I shall know that ye are not spies, but that ye are men of the truth; thus I will deliver you your brother, and ye shall trade in the land.

Tarshish was thy market by reason of the multitude of all thy riches in silver, iron, tin, and lead; they traded in thy fairs.


to turn aside the poor from right judgment and to take away the right from the afflicted of my people that widows may be their prey and that they may rob the fatherless!

In thee they have taken bribes to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion and hast forgotten me, said the Lord GOD.


But as the same slave was leaving, he found one of his fellowslaves who owed him a hundred denarius, and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me what thou owest.


And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.

yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world or with the covetous or extortioners or with idolaters, for then ye would need to go out of the world.


And Jezebel, his wife, said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? Arise and eat bread and let thy heart be merry; I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth of Jezreel.

And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech's slaves had violently taken away.

And the pastors of Gerar strove with Isaac's pastors, saying, The water is ours; therefore he called the name of the well Esek, because they strove with him.

Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters and six years for thy flock; and thou hast changed my wages ten times.

Israel has sinned and has even transgressed my covenant which I commanded them; for they have even taken of the anathema and have also stolen and lied also, and they have even put it in their own vessels.

And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were stolen from thee, about which thou didst curse in my hearing, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my son.

And the five men that went to spy out the land went up and went in there and took the graven image and the ephod, and the teraphim and the molten image while the priest stood in the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men that were armed with weapons of war.


My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, thou art snared with the words of thy mouth; thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

The righteousness of the perfect shall straighten his way, but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.

A man void of understanding strikes hands and becomes surety in the presence of his friend.

Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him that is surety for a strange woman.

Be not thou one of them that strike hands or of them that are sureties for debts.

Take his garment that is surety for a stranger and take a pledge of him that is surety for a strange woman.


and he carried away all his livestock and all his goods which he had gotten, the livestock of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, to return unto Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

And he recovered all the goods and also brought again his brother Lot and his goods and the women also and the people.

And the sons of Israel took all the women of Midian captives and their little ones and took the spoil of all their beasts and all their flocks and all their goods.

And all those that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver and of gold, with goods and with beasts and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.

And they took strong cities and fertile land and inherited houses full of all goods, hewn cisterns, vineyards and oliveyards and many trees of good fruit; so they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.

And one of the crowd said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.

and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of the estate that falls to me. And he divided unto them his living.


And if the slave shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free.

Behold, as the eyes of slaves look unto the hand of their masters and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until he shall have mercy upon us.

A prudent slave shall have rule over a son that causes shame and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.

As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to those that send him, for he refreshes the soul of his master.

Whosoever keeps the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof, so he that waits on his master shall be honoured.

Who then is the faithful and prudent slave, whom his lord has made ruler over his household to give them food in due season?


If thou should lend money to my people, to the poor who is with thee, thou shalt not be to him as a usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.

Then I meditated unto myself, and I rebuked the principals and the rulers and said unto them, Does each one of you exact usury of his brother? And I set a great assembly against them.

He that by usury and unjust gain increases his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.

Take thou no usury of him, or increase; but thou shalt have the fear of thy God, and thy brother shall live with thee.

He that does not put out his money to usury nor take a bribe against the innocent. He that does these things shall never be moved.

neither lends at interest, neither takes any increase, withdraws his hand from iniquity, executes true judgment between man and man,



But we desire that each one of you show the same diligence until the end for the fulfillment of your hope,









And if anyone borrows anything of his neighbour, and it is hurt or dies, its owner not being with it, he shall surely make it good.

And he said, Go, borrow vessels from all thy neighbours, empty vessels; borrow not a few.

But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water, and he cried and said, Alas, master! It was borrowed.




And if it seems evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

And a certain centurion's slave, who was dear unto him, was sick and ready to die.

Then Jacob said unto his household and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you and be clean and change your garments:

Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal, the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, How glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his slaves as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!




And if it seems evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

And a certain centurion's slave, who was dear unto him, was sick and ready to die.

Then Jacob said unto his household and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you and be clean and change your garments:

Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal, the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, How glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his slaves as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!


besides what he had from the merchantmen and from the trade of the spice merchants and from all the kings of Arabia and from the princes of the land.

And they sat down to eat bread; and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing aromas and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore:

So the merchants and sellers of all kinds of merchandise lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice.

Who has decreed this against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honourable of the earth?


Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making: they traded in thy fairs with rubies and purple and broidered work and fine linen and coral and pearls.

and said unto those that sold the doves, Take these things away from here; do not make my Father's house a house of merchandise.

The merchandise of gold and of silver and of precious stones and of pearls and of fine linen and of purple and of silk and of scarlet and of all thyine wood and of all manner vessels of ivory and of all manner vessels of most precious wood and of brass and of iron and of marble

Likewise that if the peoples of the land bring merchandise or any food on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not take anything from them on the sabbath or on the holy day, and that we would leave the seventh year and remit every debt.

There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, who brought fish and all manner of merchandise, and sold on the sabbath to the sons of Judah in Jerusalem.


But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleases thee. Then Sarai afflicted her, and she fled from her face.


And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound; and he was there in the prison.

And the Egyptians made the sons of Israel serve with rigor,

And David said unto him, To whom dost thou belong and where art thou from? And the young Egyptian said, I am the slave to an Amalekite, and my master left me three days ago because I was sick.


But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleases thee. Then Sarai afflicted her, and she fled from her face.


And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound; and he was there in the prison.

And the Egyptians made the sons of Israel serve with rigor,

And David said unto him, To whom dost thou belong and where art thou from? And the young Egyptian said, I am the slave to an Amalekite, and my master left me three days ago because I was sick.



but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he lacks.

He is ever merciful and lends, and his seed is a blessing.




If a person commits a sin, a trespass against the LORD, and denies unto his neighbour that which was delivered unto him to keep or left in his hand, or in a thing stolen, or has slandered his neighbour;

Do not look upon me because I am dark because the sun has looked upon me; my mother's sons were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards, but I have not kept my own vineyard.

Thou hast taken likewise the vessels of thy beauty of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee and made to thyself images of men and didst commit whoredom with them

And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?


For thou didst take a pledge from thy brother without cause and stripped the naked of their clothing.

If thou at all take thy neighbour's clothing as a pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him before the sun goes down;

No man shall take the lower or the upper millstone for a pledge, for he takes a man's life to pledge.

They drive away the ass of the fatherless; they take the widow's ox for a pledge.

and they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by any altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.



And the field and the cave that is therein were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.

Now for a long time in Israel there had been this custom concerning redemption or contracts, that for the confirmation of all matters: one plucked off his shoe and gave it to his neighbour, and this was a testimony in Israel. Therefore, the former owner of the right of redemption said unto Boaz, Buy it thyself. So he drew off his shoe.

And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have heard that which thou didst send to tell me, and I will do all thy desire concerning the timber of cedar and concerning the timber of fir. My slaves shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea, and I will convey them by sea in rafts unto the place that thou shalt appoint me and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive them; and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household. So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire. read more.
And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household and twenty thousand measures of pure oil; this gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.




But ye do wrong and defraud and do this to your brothers.


No man shall take the lower or the upper millstone for a pledge, for he takes a man's life to pledge.

They drive away the ass of the fatherless; they take the widow's ox for a pledge.



So I bought her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver and an homer and a half of barley:

And they brought their livestock unto Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses and for the sheep and for the bovine livestock and for the asses, and he fed them with bread for all their livestock that year.

So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire.



In his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor and with it sustains his life, lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.



In his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor and with it sustains his life, lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.


Again, he sent forth other slaves, saying, Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my bulls and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; come unto the marriage. But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise,

Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper and called many and sent his slave at supper time to say to those that were called, Come, for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a field, and I have need to go and see it; I pray thee have me excused. read more.
And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them; I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.



And he spoke a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my storehouses and build greater, and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.


And I will come near unto you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against false swearers and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and do not fear me, said the LORD of the hosts.

And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Oppress no one, neither accuse anyone falsely; and be content with your wages.


They also gave to the craftsmen and builders, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and for the woodwork of the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed. And the men did the work faithfully, and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of Kohath, to set it forward; and others of the Levites, all those with understanding in instruments of music.


Therefore my heart began to despair again regarding all the labour which I took under the sun.


The sleep of the servant is sweet whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.




And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king, and he said, Thy slave went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside and brought a man unto me and said, Guard this man; if by any means he should get away, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver. And when thy slave was busy here and there, he disappeared. Then the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy sentence be; thou thyself hast decided it.


And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him who owed him ten thousand talents. But he not having wherewith to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife and children and all that he had, to make payment.




Woe unto him that builds his house and not in righteousness and his chambers and not in judgment, using his neighbour's service without wages and not giving him the wages of his work!




Brethren, (I speak after the manner of men) Even when a covenant is of man, once it is confirmed, no one cancels it or adds to it.


And I made treasurers over the store houses, Shelemiah, the priest, and Zadok, the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah; and next to them was Hanan, the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were counted faithful, and their office was to distribute unto their brethren.


Let all that are under the yoke of slavery count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine not be blasphemed.






Moreover they did not require accounts from the men into whose hands they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen, for they dealt faithfully.




If I had despised the right of my manslave or of my maidslave, when they contended with me; what then would I do when God rises up? And when he visits, what would I answer him?


And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and with him knew of nothing more than of the bread which he ate. And Joseph was handsome and well favoured.


There were also some that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine.




So he called each one of his lord's debtors unto him and said unto the first, How much dost thou owe unto my lord? And he said, A hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill and sit down quickly and write fifty.


Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell this oil and pay thy debtors and live thou and thy sons of the rest.




Surely man walks in darkness; surely they are disquieted in vain; they heap up riches not knowing who shall gather them.


Then the presidents and governors looked for occasions against Daniel on behalf of the kingdom, but they could find no occasion or fault because he was faithful, and no vice nor fault was found in him.


Exhort slaves to be subject to their own masters and to please them well in all things; not contradicting;




And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them and worked, for by their occupation they were tentmakers.


And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour, and Solomon, seeing that the young man was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.


So she gleaned in the field until evening and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.


So we laboured in the work, and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.