Proverbs 11:4

Hebrew Bible

1 The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but an accurate weight is his delight. 2 After pride came, disgrace followed; but wisdom came with humility. 3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. 4 Wealth does not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. 5 The righteousness of the blameless will make their way smooth, but the wicked will fall through their own wickedness.

Tobit 12:9

Deuterocanon

6 Then Raphael called the two of them privately and said to them, "Bless God and acknowledge him in the presence of all the living for the good things he has done for you. Bless and sing praise to his name. With fitting honor declare to all people the deeds of God. Do not be slow to acknowledge him. 7 It is good to conceal the secret of a king, but to acknowledge and reveal the works of God, and with fitting honor to acknowledge him. Do good and evil will not overtake you. 8 Prayer with fasting is good, but better than both is almsgiving with righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than wealth with wrongdoing. It is better to give alms than to lay up gold. 9 For almsgiving saves from death and purges away every sin. Those who give alms will enjoy a full life, 10 but those who commit sin and do wrong are their own worst enemies.

 Notes and References

"... Righteousness in 4Q420-21 may allude to charitable works. 4Q424 3 7-10 gives advice regarding kindness towards the poor: 'a man of generosity performs charity for the poor' (1.9). It is used several times as a term for almsgiving in Ben Sira. Sirach 3:30-4:6 is on this topic and reads in part: 'As water quenches flaming fire, so alms atone for sins. The kindness a person has done crosses his path as he goes' (4QTobit also appears to use the word as a term for almsgiving. It is a prominent theme in this work (1:3; 4:7-11; 12:8-9). Compassion for the downtrodden is a prominent theme in traditional wisdom (e.g., Proverbs 14:31; 21:13; 22:7). This topic is highlighted also in the covenantal tradition and elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible. Almsgiving is not explicit in 4QWays of Righteousness, but there is nothing in the text that is incompatible with this theme. That 4Q420-21 recommends almsgiving remains a reasonable possibility ..."

Goff, Matthew J. Discerning Wisdom: The Sapiential Literature of the Dead Sea Scrolls (pp. 164-165) Brill, 2007

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