“The Lord giveth and the IRS taketh away”
“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away” is in Job 1:21 of the Bible. “The Lord giveth and the government/IRS taketh away” is a jocular one-line saying that has been printed on many images. “The world giveth and the government taketh away” was cited in print in 1927 and “The government giveth and the government taketh away” was cited in print in 1939, in an article about WPA government jobs.
“What the Lord Giveth, the Federal Government Taketh Away” was printed in the Austin (TX) American on April 2, 1949. “The Lord Giveth, The Government Taketh Away” was printed in The Independent Record (Helena, MT) on August 7, 1961.
“THE LORD GIVETH AND THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE TAKETH AWAY” was printed in the Des Moines (IA) Tribune on April 10, 1969. “The Lord Giveth, the IRS Taketh Away” was printed in the Sunday Post-Crescent (Appleton, WI) on April 16, 1972.
Online Parallel Bible
Job 1:21
New International Version (©1984)
and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”
9 April 1927, Logansport (IN) Pharos-Tribune, “Andrew and Imogene” by Ron Fulkerson, pg. 4, col. 5:
The world giveth and the government taketh away. One minute you have it and the next minute the income tax man gets it.
22 May 1939, Hammond (IN) Times, pg. 4, col. 3:
VERILY
(Indianapolis News)
5,000 More Will Lose WPA Jobs—Headline.
The government giveth and the government taketh away.
23 December 1947, Evening World-Herald (Omaha, NE), “That Quack Panacea,” pg. 6, col. 1:
In other words, the Government taketh away and the Government giveth—but it giveth only a part of what it taketh away.
Newspapers.com
2 April 1949, Austin (TX) American, “UT Parade Kids Reds, Students,” pg. 1, col. 1:
One elaborate display started with marching students carrying a sign “What the Lord Giveth, the Federal Government Taketh Away.”
11 March 1958, Big Spring (TX) Herald, “You Really Can’t Win At Gambling,” pg. 8-A, col. 5:
Lady Fortune giveth, the IRS taketh away.
Google Books
The Great Man’s Life: 1925 to 2000 A.C.
By Albert Archer Van Petten
New York, NY: Utopian Publishers
1959
Pg. 47:
I remember one old fellow used to say every payday after they took his taxes out of his pay, “The government giveth, and the government taketh away.”
Newspapers.com
7 August 1961, The Independent Record (Helena, MT), pg. 4, col. 1 editorial:
The Lord Giveth,
The Government Taketh Away
Newspapers.com
6 March 1962, Muncie (IN) Evening Press, “Washington Briefs” by Lou Hiner, pg. 4, col. 7:
Another observed: “The Lord Giveth, and the Internal Revenue Service Taketh Away.”
Newspapers.com
10 April 1969, Des Moines (IA) Tribune, “Laugh In” comic strip, comic sec., pg. 30, col. 8:
THE LORD GIVETH AND THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE TAKETH AWAY.
Newspapers.com
8 December 1971, Dunsmuir (CA) News, pg. 7, col. 8:
The Lord giveth, the Internal Revenue Service taketh away.
Newspapers.com
16 April 1972, Sunday Post-Crescent (Appleton, WI), pg. C11, col. 1:
The Lord Giveth, the IRS Taketh Away
BY ART BUCHWALD
26 December 1975, Newport (RI) Daily News, pg. 1, col. 1 headline:
Santa bringeth, IRS taketh away
OCLC WorldCat
Country comment.
Author: Johnny Credit; James O’Gwynn; Webb Pierce; Linda Martell; Rusty Adams; All authors
Publisher: [London] : Charly, ℗1976.
Edition/Format: Music LP : English
Contents:
The good Lord giveth and Uncle Sam taketh away (Webb Pierce) -
Google Books
19 July 1976, New York magazine, pg. 81, col. 1:
The IRS giveth, and the IRS taketh away. The latest thing it hath taken away is one of the favorite dodgers of the harried white-collar worker, the office-at-home deduction.
14 November 1976, Cedar Rapids (IA) Gazette, “Tax Reform Act Clinic Thursday,” pg. 11B, col. 5:
Howard Eichhorn, CPA, Dee, Gosling and Co.. Certified Public Accountants, will discuss “The Lord Giveth and the IRS Taketh Away” with specific reference to individual taxes.
6 April 1982, The Morning Union (Springfield, MA), pg. 31, col. 7 classified ad:
THE LORD GIVETH & IRS Taketh Away. Buy this 3-3 duplex and enjoy some return.
(Century 21 Heritage—ed.)
Google News Archive
21 April 1989, The Daily Record (Ellensburg, WA), “Report from Olympia” by Adele Ferguson, pg. 4, col. 4
In the Good News-Bad News cartoon, a minister in the pulpit intoned to his flock: “The Lord giveth and the IRS taketh away.”
Google Books
14,000 Quips and Quotes for Speakers, Writers, Editors, Preachers, and Teachers
By E. C. McKenzie
Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House
1990, ©1980
Pg. 269:
The Lord giveth, and the IRS taketh away.
Twitter
Saoirse Ní Thuathail
@SaoirseNiTuath
The Lord Giveth And The Government Taketh Away
5:47 AM · Mar 4, 2009·Twitter Web Client
Twitter
Chad Gardner
@chad_gardner
The Lord giveth… and the IRS taketh away… Blessed be the name of the Lord!
8:28 PM · Apr 14, 2009·Twitter Web Client
Twitter
Jeff Merck
@jeffmerck
God giveth and the IRS taketh away.
1:18 PM · Sep 15, 2009·Twitter Web Client
Twitter
Marilyn A
@BabySnooks
The Lord giveth, the government taketh away ~ Anon
10:53 PM · Sep 23, 2009·Twitter Web Client
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Young Conservatives
@YoungCons
What the Good Lord giveth, the Government taketh away. #tcot
1:18 AM · Aug 6, 2013·TweetDeck
Twitter
Sal the Agorist
@SallyMayweather
(THE LORD GIVETH/ THE GOVERNMENT TAKETH AWAY” is shown on an image.—ed.)
9:59 PM · Aug 29, 2022·Twitter for iPhone