9 Bible Verses about Assassinations, Attempted

So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him; and Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are very near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” When these words of her elder son Esau were repeated to Rebekah, she sent for Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Listen carefully, your brother Esau is comforting himself concerning you by planning to kill you. So now, my son, listen and do what I say; go, escape to my brother Laban in Haran! read more.
Stay with him for a while, until your brother’s anger subsides. When your brother’s anger toward you subsides and he forgets what you did to him, then I will send and bring you back from there. Why should I be deprived of you both in a single day?”

And when they saw him from a distance, even before he came close to them, they plotted to kill him. They said to one another, “Look, here comes this dreamer. Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits (cisterns, underground water storage); then we will say [to our father], ‘A wild animal killed and devoured him’; and we shall see what will become of his dreams!” read more.
Now Reuben [the eldest] heard this and rescued him from their hands and said, “Let us not take his life.” Reuben said to them, “Do not shed his blood, but [instead] throw him [alive] into the pit that is here in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him [to kill him]”—[he said this so] that he could rescue him from them and return him [safely] to his father.

Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he escaped from Saul’s presence, so that Saul only stuck the spear into the wall. Then David fled and escaped that night. Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch for him, so that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled and escaped. read more.
And Michal took the household idol and laid it on the bed, put a pillow of goats’ hair at its head, and covered it with clothes. And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.” Then Saul sent the messengers [again] to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me on his bed [if necessary], so that I may kill him.” When the messengers came in, there was the household idol on the bed with a quilt of goats’ hair at its head. Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why should I kill you?’” So David fled and escaped and came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him everything that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth.

But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, you shall say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’” Then two hundred men from Jerusalem who were invited [as guests to his sacrificial feast] went with Absalom. They went innocently and knew nothing [about his plan against David]. And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city Giloh, while he was offering sacrifices. And the conspiracy grew strong, for the people with Absalom increased continually.read more.
Then a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.” David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, let us flee, or none of us will escape from Absalom! Go in haste, or he will overtake us quickly and bring disaster on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”

In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the door, became angry and conspired to attack King Ahasuerus. But the plot became known to Mordecai, who informed Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in Mordecai’s name. Now when the plot was investigated and found to be true, both men were hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the Book of the Chronicles in the king’s presence.

Then Jesus went back to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news about Him spread through the entire region.

After this, Jesus walked [from place to place] in Galilee, for He would not walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him.

After considerable time had passed [about three years or so], the Jews plotted together to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were also watching the city’s gates day and night so they could kill him; but his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

Now when day came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under an oath (curse), saying that they would not eat or drink until they had killed Paul. There were more than forty [men] who formed this plot [and swore this oath]. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves under a solemn oath not to taste anything [neither food nor drink] until we have killed Paul. read more.
So now you, along with the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), notify the commander to bring Paul down to you, as if you were going to investigate his case more thoroughly. But we are ready to kill him before he comes near [the place].” But the son of Paul’s sister heard of their [planned] ambush, and he went to the barracks and told Paul. Then Paul, calling in one of the centurions, said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to tell him.” So he took him and led him to the commander and said, “Paul the prisoner called for me and asked me to bring this young man to you, because he has something to tell you.” The commander took him by the hand and stepping aside, began to ask him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) tomorrow, as if they were going to interrogate him more thoroughly. But do not listen to them, for more than forty of them are lying in wait for him, and they have bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. Even now they are ready, just waiting for your promise.” So the commander let the young man leave, instructing him, “Do not tell anyone that you have given me this information.” Then summoning two of the centurions, he said, “Have two hundred soldiers ready by the third hour of the night (9:00 p.m.) to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen; also provide mounts for Paul to ride, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.” And [after instructing the centurions] he wrote a letter to this effect:

“Claudius Lysias, to the most excellent governor Felix, greetings.

This man was seized [as a prisoner] by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, when I came upon him with the troops and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen. And wanting to know the exact charge which they were making against him, I brought him down to their Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court); and I discovered that he was accused in regard to questions and issues in their Law, but [he was] under no accusation that would call for the penalty of death or [even] for imprisonment.

When I was told that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you immediately, also directing his accusers to bring their charges against him before you.” So the soldiers, in compliance with their orders, took Paul and brought him to Antipatris during the night.