22 Bible Verses about Covetousness

Stop owing anybody anything, except the obligation to love one another, for whoever practices loving others has perfectly satisfied the law. For the commandments, "You must not commit adultery; you must not murder; you must not steal; you must not have an evil desire," and any other commandment if there is any, are summed up in this command, "You must love your neighbor as you do yourself."

You must have a turn of mind that is free from avarice; you must be content with what you have, for God Himself has said, "I will never fail you, I will never forsake you."

But sexual vice and any form of immorality or sensual greed must not so much as be mentioned among you, as that is the only course becoming in God's people;

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the high priests to betray Him to them. They were delighted to hear it, and promised to pay him for it. So he kept looking for a good opportunity to betray Him to them.

But Satan entered into Judas, who is called Iscariot, who belonged to the circle of the Twelve. So he went off and discussed with the high priests and captains of the temple how he could betray Him to them. They were delighted and made a bargain to pay him for it. read more.
He in turn accepted their offer and began to seek a favorable opportunity to betray Him to them without exciting an uprising.

and said, "What will you give me to turn Him over to you?" Then they paid him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he kept looking for a good opportunity to turn Him over to them.

He said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and as the carrier of the purse for the Twelve he was in the habit of taking what was put into it.

And Jesus went into the temple and drove out all the buyers and sellers, and turned the money-changers' tables and the dove-dealers' seats upside down, and said to them, "The Scripture says, 'My house must be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a cave for robbers."

Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things in it, and He said to them, "The Scripture says, 'And my house shall be a house of prayer,' but you have made it a cave for robbers."

And in the temple court He found the dealers in cattle, sheep, and pigeons; the money-changers, too, seated at their tables. So He made a lash out of cords, and drove them all, together with the sheep and cattle, out of the temple court, scattered the money-changers' coins and upset their tables. Then He said to the pigeon-dealers, "Take these things out of here! Stop using my Father's house as a market place!"

For you may be absolutely sure that no one who is sexually impure, immoral or greedy for gain (for that is idolatry) can have a part in the kingdom of Christ and God. Stop letting anyone deceive you with groundless arguments about these things, for it is because of these very sins that God's anger comes down upon the disobedient.

So once for all put to death your lower, earthly nature with respect to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is real idolatry. It is on account of these very sins that God's anger is coming.

or thieves or greedy graspers for more or drunkards or slanderers or swindlers will not have a share in the kingdom of God.

For you may be absolutely sure that no one who is sexually impure, immoral or greedy for gain (for that is idolatry) can have a part in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Keep on pursuing love, but still keep cultivating your spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophesying.

So you are Christ's body, and individually parts of it. And God has placed people in the church, first as apostles, second as prophets, third as teachers, then wonder-workers; then people with power to cure the sick, helpers, managers, ecstatic speakers. Not all are apostles, are they? Not all are prophets, are they? Not all are teachers, are they? Not all are wonder-workers, are they? read more.
Not all are people with power to cure the sick, are they? Not all are ecstatic speakers, are they? Not all can explain ecstatic speaking, can they? But you must earnestly continue to cultivate your higher spiritual gifts. And yet I will show you a way that is better by far:

Now the Pharisees who were lovers of money had been listening to all this, and they began to ridicule Him. Then He said to them, "You are the men who exhibit your uprightness before the public, but God knows your hearts. For what stands high in the sight of men is detestable in the sight of God.

So once for all put to death your lower, earthly nature with respect to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is real idolatry.

For you may be absolutely sure that no one who is sexually impure, immoral or greedy for gain (for that is idolatry) can have a part in the kingdom of Christ and God.

So once for all put to death your lower, earthly nature with respect to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is real idolatry.

For you may be absolutely sure that no one who is sexually impure, immoral or greedy for gain (for that is idolatry) can have a part in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Just then a man in the crowd said to Him, "Tell my brother to share with me our inheritance." But He said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or umpire in your affairs?" And then He said to them, "Be ever on the alert and always on your guard against every form of greed, because a man's life does not consist in his possessions, even though they are abundant." read more.
Then He told them a story, as follows: "A certain rich man's lands yielded bountifully. So he began to argue with himself, 'What am I to do, because I have nowhere to store my crops?' Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and in them I will store all my grains and my goods. Then I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Go on taking your ease; continue to eat, drink, and enjoy yourself."' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is to be demanded of you. Then who will have all that you have prepared?' So it is with the man who continues to pile up possessions for himself, and is not rich in God."

For you may be absolutely sure that no one who is sexually impure, immoral or greedy for gain (for that is idolatry) can have a part in the kingdom of Christ and God.

For people will be selfish, avaricious, boastful, haughty, abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, irreverent,

Now there were false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you too, who will insidiously introduce destructive heresies and deny the Master who has bought them, thus bringing on themselves swift destruction. Many people will follow their immoral ways, and because of them the true Way will be abused, In their greed they will exploit you with messages manufactured by themselves. From of old their condemnation has not been idle and their destruction has not been slumbering.

You must have a turn of mind that is free from avarice; you must be content with what you have, for God Himself has said, "I will never fail you, I will never forsake you."

But sexual vice and any form of immorality or sensual greed must not so much as be mentioned among you, as that is the only course becoming in God's people;

They have eyes full of adultery and insatiable by sin. They practice enticing unsteady souls. They have trained their hearts in greed. They are doomed to a curse!

They have left the straight road and gone astray. They have followed the road that Balaam, the son of Beor, trod, who fell in love with the profits of wrongdoing

Alas for them, because they have trod the road that Cain did; for gain they have rushed into Balaam's error and have perished in rebellion like that of Korah!

I have never coveted any man's silver or gold or clothes.

They have left the straight road and gone astray. They have followed the road that Balaam, the son of Beor, trod, who fell in love with the profits of wrongdoing

Now what I really meant was for you to stop associating with any so-called brother, if he is sexually immoral, a greedy grasper, an idolater, a slanderer, a drunkard, or a swindler -- with such a person you must even stop eating.

Then one of the Twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the high priests, and said, "What will you give me to turn Him over to you?" Then they paid him thirty pieces of silver.

For the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil, and some men in reaching after riches have wandered from the faith and pierced their hearts with many a pang.

For the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil, and some men in reaching after riches have wandered from the faith and pierced their hearts with many a pang.

So once for all put to death your lower, earthly nature with respect to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is real idolatry.

For the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil, and some men in reaching after riches have wandered from the faith and pierced their hearts with many a pang.

not addicted to strong drink, not pugnacious, gentle and not contentious, not avaricious,

But men who keep planning to get rich fall into temptations and snares and many foolish, hurtful desires which plunge people into destruction and ruin.

Just then a man in the crowd said to Him, "Tell my brother to share with me our inheritance." But He said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or umpire in your affairs?" And then He said to them, "Be ever on the alert and always on your guard against every form of greed, because a man's life does not consist in his possessions, even though they are abundant."

adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, abusiveness, haughtiness, thoughtlessness. All these evils come from the inside of a man and make him foul."

A silversmith named Demetrius, by manufacturing silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing in great profits to his workmen.

Now the danger facing us is, not only that our business will lose its reputation but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be brought into contempt and that she whom all Asia and all the world now worship will soon be dethroned from her majestic glory!"

And a man came up to Him and asked, "What is there good that I can do to possess eternal life?" And He answered him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only One who is perfectly good. But if you want to get into that life, you must practice keeping the commandments." He asked Him, "What sort of commandments?" Jesus answered, "You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not lie, read more.
You must practice honoring your father and mother. And you must love your neighbor as you do yourself." The young man said, "I have kept all these commandments; what more do I lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell everything you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come back here and follow me." And when the young man heard that, he went away in deep distress, for he owned a great deal of property.

And then He said to them, "Be ever on the alert and always on your guard against every form of greed, because a man's life does not consist in his possessions, even though they are abundant." Then He told them a story, as follows: "A certain rich man's lands yielded bountifully. So he began to argue with himself, 'What am I to do, because I have nowhere to store my crops?' read more.
Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and in them I will store all my grains and my goods. Then I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Go on taking your ease; continue to eat, drink, and enjoy yourself."' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is to be demanded of you. Then who will have all that you have prepared?' So it is with the man who continues to pile up possessions for himself, and is not rich in God."

because they overflow with every sort of evil-doing, wickedness, greed, and malice; they are full of envy, murder, quarreling, deceit, ill-will;

Now the Pharisees who were lovers of money had been listening to all this, and they began to ridicule Him.

So when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was conferred by the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, and said, "Give me this power too, that when I lay my hands on anyone he may receive the Holy Spirit." But Peter said to him, "Your money go to perdition with you for even dreaming you could buy the gift of God with money! read more.
You have no share or part in this matter, for your heart is not sincere in the sight of God. So repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord, to see if this thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are a bitter weed and a bundle of crookedness!"

At the same time he was hoping to get money from Paul, and so he kept on sending for him and talking with him.

And then He said to them, "Be ever on the alert and always on your guard against every form of greed, because a man's life does not consist in his possessions, even though they are abundant."

Now He was saying to the disciples: "Once there was a rich man who had a household manager, and he was accused to his master of squandering the latter's property. So he called the manager to him and said, 'What is this that I am hearing about you? Balance your accounts and show how you are conducting my affairs, for you cannot be manager any longer.' Then the manager said to himself, What shall I do, because my master is going to take my position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. read more.
I know what I will do -- I will ask them to take me into their homes when I am removed from my position. So he called in each of his master's debtors, and asked the first one, 'How much do you owe my master?' He answered, 'Nine hundred gallons of oil.' Then he said to him, 'Take your bill and sit right down and write four hundred and fifty.' Then he asked another, 'And how much do you owe?' He answered, 'Twelve hundred bushels of wheat:' He said to him, 'Take your bill and write nine hundred and sixty.' And his master praised the dishonest manager, because he acted with shrewd business sense, for the men of the world act with more business sense toward their fellows than the men who enjoy spiritual light.

But as the owners saw that the hope of their profit-making was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the public square, before the authorities,

for Demas has forsaken me because he loved the present world, and has gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia;

At the same time he was hoping to get money from Paul, and so he kept on sending for him and talking with him.

Now the Pharisees who were lovers of money had been listening to all this, and they began to ridicule Him.

Jesus answered them, "I most solemnly say to you, you are looking for me, not because of the wonder-works you saw, but because you ate the loaves and had plenty.

So once for all put to death your lower, earthly nature with respect to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is real idolatry.

For you may be absolutely sure that no one who is sexually impure, immoral or greedy for gain (for that is idolatry) can have a part in the kingdom of Christ and God.

But men who keep planning to get rich fall into temptations and snares and many foolish, hurtful desires which plunge people into destruction and ruin. For the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil, and some men in reaching after riches have wandered from the faith and pierced their hearts with many a pang.