Beware! thou that art snared in the net of avarice,
Lest thou be mad and intoxicated with the cup of greed.
Waste not thy life in the acquisition of wealth,
Since an earthen pot is not of the same value as a pearl.
Whosoever hath fallen into the snare of greed
Giveth the harvest of his life to the winds.
I grant that all the wealth of Korah 1
is thine—
That all the riches of the habitable globe are with thee
But in the end thou wilt be enveloped in the earth,
Like the helpless, with distress of heart.
Why dost thou distress thyself with the anguish of gold?
Why dost thou bear the burden of distress, as if thou wert an ass?
Why dost thou undergo anguish on account of wealth,
For it will of a sudden be swept away.
Hast thou thus given thine heart to the picture of money?
For with the taste thereof thou wilt become a penitent boon companion.
Thou art become such a lover of the face of gold,
That thine affairs are distressed and thy head upset.
Thou art become as it were a prey to its pursuit,
That thou thinkest not of the day of judgment.
Let not the heart of that base wretch rejoice,
Who on account of the world scattereth faith to the winds.
45:1 A man proverbial for his wealth and avarice.
