20 Bible Verses about Backsliders

And it cometh to pass, after the coming in of Amaziah from smiting the Edomites, that he bringeth in the gods of the sons of Seir, and establisheth them to him for gods, and before them doth bow himself, and to them he maketh perfume.

and he doth that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah -- only, not with a perfect heart.

And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,

What do I do to thee, O Ephraim? What do I do to thee, O Judah? Your goodness is as a cloud of the morning, And as dew rising early -- going.

And those removing from after Jehovah, And who have not sought Jehovah, nor besought Him.

O God, cause us to turn back, And cause Thy face to shine, and we are saved. Jehovah, God of Hosts, till when? Thou hast burned against the prayer of Thy people. Thou hast caused them to eat bread of tears, And causest them to drink With tears a third time. read more.
Thou makest us a strife to our neighbours, And our enemies mock at it. God of Hosts, turn us back, And cause Thy face to shine, and we are saved.

God of Hosts, turn back, we beseech Thee, Look from heaven, and see, and inspect this vine, And the root that Thy right hand planted, And the branch Thou madest strong for Thee, Burnt with fire -- cut down, From the rebuke of Thy face they perish. read more.
Let Thy hand be on the man of Thy right hand, On the son of man Thou hast strengthened for Thyself. And we do not go back from Thee, Thou dost revive us, and in Thy name we call. O Jehovah, God of Hosts, turn us back, Cause Thy face to shine, and we are saved!

In that day doth man look to His Maker, Yea, his eyes to the Holy One of Israel look,

And the erring in spirit have known understanding, And murmurers learn doctrine!'

Turn back to Him from whom sons of Israel Have deepened apostasy. For in that day despise doth each His idols of silver, and his idols of gold, That your hands made to you -- a sin.

And the people see that Moses is delaying to come down from the mount, and the people assemble against Aaron, and say unto him, 'Rise, make for us gods who go before us, for this Moses -- the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt -- we have not known what hath happened to him.'

they have turned aside hastily from the way that I have commanded them; they have made for themselves a molten calf, and bow themselves to it, and sacrifice to it, and say, These thy gods, O Israel, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.'

'I have repented that I caused Saul to reign for king, for he hath turned back from after Me, and My words he hath not performed;' and it is displeasing to Samuel, and he crieth unto Jehovah all the night.

From this time many of his disciples went away backward, and were no more walking with him,

the spirit it is that is giving life; the flesh doth not profit anything; the sayings that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life; but there are certain of you who do not believe;' for Jesus had known from the beginning who they are who are not believing, and who is he who will deliver him up,

for already certain did turn aside after the Adversary.

'But I have against thee a few things: That thou dost suffer the woman Jezebel, who is calling herself a prophetess, to teach, and to lead astray, my servants to commit whoredom, and idol-sacrifices to eat;

'But I have against thee: That thy first love thou didst leave!

for already certain did turn aside after the Adversary.

'But I have against thee a few things: That thou hast there those holding the teaching of Balaam, who did teach Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the sons of Israel, to eat idol-sacrifices, and to commit whoredom; so hast thou, even thou, those holding the teaching of the Nicolaitans -- which thing I hate.

become watching, and strengthen the rest of the things that are about to die, for I have not found thy works fulfilled before God. 'Remember, then, how thou hast received, and heard, and be keeping, and reform: if, then, thou mayest not watch, I will come upon thee as a thief, and thou mayest not know what hour I will come upon thee.

and Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, he having said to him -- 'Before cock-crowing, thrice thou wilt deny me;' and having gone without, he did weep bitterly.

and a second time a cock crew, and Peter remembered the saying that Jesus said to him -- 'Before a cock crow twice, thou mayest deny me thrice;' and having thought thereon -- he was weeping.

and Peter having gone without, wept bitterly.

And Peter without was sitting in the court, and there came near to him a certain maid, saying, 'And thou wast with Jesus of Galilee!' And he denied before all, saying, 'I have not known what thou sayest.' And he having gone forth to the porch, another female saw him, and saith to those there, 'And this one was with Jesus of Nazareth;' read more.
and again did he deny with an oath -- 'I have not known the man.' And after a little those standing near having come, said to Peter, 'Truly thou also art of them, for even thy speech doth make thee manifest.' Then began he to anathematise, and to swear -- 'I have not known the man;' and immediately did a cock crow, and Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, he having said to him -- 'Before cock-crowing, thrice thou wilt deny me;' and having gone without, he did weep bitterly.

I wonder that ye are so quickly removed from Him who did call you in the grace of Christ to another good news;

O thoughtless Galatians, who did bewitch you, not to obey the truth -- before whose eyes Jesus Christ was described before among you crucified?

and now, having known God -- and rather being known by God -- how turn ye again unto the weak and poor elements to which anew ye desire to be in servitude? days ye observe, and months, and times, and years! I am afraid of you, lest in vain I did labour toward you.

for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith through love working. Ye were running well; who did hinder you -- not to obey the truth?

'When the unclean spirit may go forth from the man it walketh through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding, it saith, I will turn back to my house whence I came forth; and having come, it findeth it swept and adorned;

then doth it go, and take to it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and having entered, they dwell there, and the last of that man becometh worst than the first.'

Whoredom is actually heard of among you, and such whoredom as is not even named among the nations -- as that one hath the wife of the father! -- and ye are having been puffed up, and did not rather mourn, that he may be removed out of the midst of you who did this work, for I indeed, as being absent as to the body, and present as to the spirit, have already judged, as being present, him who so wrought this thing: read more.
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ -- ye being gathered together, also my spirit -- with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver up such a one to the Adversary for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Not good is your glorying; have ye not known that a little leaven the whole lump doth leaven? cleanse out, therefore, the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, according as ye are unleavened, for also our passover for us was sacrificed -- Christ, so that we may keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of evil and wickedness, but with unleavened food of sincerity and truth.

for I fear lest, having come, not such as I wish I may find you, and I -- I may be found by you such as ye do not wish, lest there be strifes, envyings, wraths, revelries, evil-speakings, whisperings, puffings up, insurrections, lest again having come, my God may humble me in regard to you, and I may bewail many of those having sinned before, and not having reformed concerning the uncleanness, and whoredom, and lasciviousness, that they did practise.

By these did not Solomon king of Israel sin? and among the many nations there was no king like him, and beloved by his God he was, and God maketh him king over all Israel -- even him did the strange women cause to sin.

And it cometh to pass, at the time of the old age of Solomon, his wives have turned aside his heart after other gods, and his heart hath not been perfect with Jehovah his God, like the heart of David his father. And Solomon goeth after Ashtoreth goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites; and Solomon doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and hath not been fully after Jehovah, like David his father. read more.
Then doth Solomon build a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is on the front of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the sons of Ammon; and so he hath done for all his strange women, who are perfuming and sacrificing to their gods. And Jehovah sheweth Himself angry with Solomon, for his heart hath turned aside from Jehovah, God of Israel, who had appeared unto him twice, and given a charge unto him concerning this thing, not to go after other gods; and he hath not kept that which Jehovah commanded, and Jehovah saith to Solomon, 'Because that this hath been with thee, and thou hast not kept My covenant and My statutes that I charged upon thee, I surely rend the kingdom from thee, and have given it to thy servant. 'Only, in thy days I do it not, for the sake of David thy father; out of the hand of thy son I rend it; only all the kingdom I do not rend away; one tribe I give to thy son, for the sake of David My servant, and for the sake of Jerusalem, that I have chosen.' And Jehovah raiseth up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; of the seed of the king is he in Edom; and it cometh to pass, in David's being with Edom, in the going up of Joab head of the host to bury the slain, that he smiteth every male in Edom -- for six months did Joab abide there, and all Israel, till the cutting off of every male in Edom -- and Hadad fleeth, he and certain Edomites, of the servants of his father, with him, to go in to Egypt, and Hadad is a little youth, and they rise out of Midian, and come into Paran, and take men with them out of Paran, and come in to Egypt, unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he giveth to him a house, and bread hath commanded for him, and land hath given to him. And Hadad findeth grace in the eyes of Pharaoh exceedingly, and he giveth to him a wife, the sister of his own wife, sister of Tahpenes the mistress; and the sister of Tahpenes beareth to him Genubath his son, and Tahpenes weaneth him within the house of Pharaoh, and Genubath is in the house of Pharaoh in the midst of the sons of Pharaoh. And Hadad hath heard in Egypt that David hath lain with his fathers, and that Joab head of the host is dead, and Hadad saith unto Pharaoh, 'Send me away, and I go unto my land.' And Pharaoh saith to him, 'But, what art thou lacking with me, that lo, thou art seeking to go unto thine own land?' and he saith, 'Nay, but thou dost certainly send me away.' And God raiseth to him an adversary, Rezon son of Eliadah, who hath fled from Hadadezer king of Zobah, his lord, and gathereth unto himself men, and is head of a troop in David's slaying them, and they go to Damascus, and dwell in it, and reign in Damascus; and he is an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, (besides the evil that Hadad did), and he cutteth off in Israel, and reigneth over Aram. And Jeroboam son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda -- the name of whose mother is Zeruah, a widow woman -- servant to Solomon, he also lifteth up a hand against the king; and this is the thing for which he lifted up a hand against the king: Solomon built Millo -- he shut up the breach of the city of David his father, and the man Jeroboam is mighty in valour, and Solomon seeth the young man that he is doing business, and appointeth him over all the burden of the house of Joseph. And it cometh to pass, at that time, that Jeroboam hath gone out from Jerusalem, and Ahijah the Shilonite, the prophet, findeth him in the way, and he is covering himself with a new garment; and both of them are by themselves in a field, and Ahijah layeth hold on the new garment that is on him, and rendeth it -- twelve pieces, and saith to Jeroboam, 'Take to thee ten pieces, for thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, lo, I am rending the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and have given to thee the ten tribes, and the one tribe he hath for My servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have fixed on, out of all the tribes of Israel. Because they have forsaken Me, and bow themselves to Ashtoreth, goddess of the Zidonians, to Chemosh god of Moab, and to Milcom god of the sons of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways, to do that which is right in Mine eyes, and My statutes and My judgments, like David his father. 'And I do not take the whole of the kingdom out of his hand, for prince I make him all days of his life, for the sake of David My servant whom I chose, who kept My commands and My statutes; and I have taken the kingdom out of the hand of his son, and given it to thee -- the ten tribes; and to his son I give one tribe, for there being a lamp to David My servant all the days before Me in Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen to Myself to put My name there. 'And thee I take, and thou hast reigned over all that thy soul desireth, and thou hast been king over Israel; and it hath been, if thou dost hear all that I command thee, and hast walked in My ways, and done that which is right in Mine eyes, to keep My statutes and My commands, as did David My servant, that I have been with thee, and have built for thee a stedfast house, as I built for David, and have given to thee Israel, and I humble the seed of David for this; only, not all the days.' And Solomon seeketh to put Jeroboam to death, and Jeroboam riseth and fleeth to Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and he is in Egypt till the death of Solomon.

From this time many of his disciples went away backward, and were no more walking with him,

but all this hath come to pass, that the Writings of the prophets may be fulfilled;' then all the disciples, having left him, fled.

'I have repented that I caused Saul to reign for king, for he hath turned back from after Me, and My words he hath not performed;' and it is displeasing to Samuel, and he crieth unto Jehovah all the night.

And Samuel saith unto Saul, 'I do not turn back with thee; for thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, and Jehovah doth reject thee from being king over Israel.' And Samuel turneth round to go, and he layeth hold on the skirt of his upper robe -- and it is rent! And Samuel saith unto him, 'Jehovah hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee to-day, and given it to thy neighbour who is better than thou;

And the sons of Israel have made, and the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the sons of the captivity, a dedication of this house of God with joy, and have brought near for the dedication of this house of God, bullocks a hundred, rams two hundred, lambs four hundred; and young he-goats for a sin-offering for all Israel, twelve, according to the number of the tribes of Israel; and they have established the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, over the service of God that is in Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses. read more.
And the sons of the captivity make the passover on the fourteenth of the first month, for the priests and the Levites have been purified together -- all of them are pure -- and they slaughter the passover for all the sons of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. And the sons of Israel, those returning from the captivity, and every one who is separated from the uncleanness of the nations of the land unto them, to seek to Jehovah, God of Israel, do eat,

for Demas forsook me, having loved the present age, and went on to Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia,

Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, And the rock of thy strength hast not remembered, Therefore thou plantest plants of pleasantness, And with a strange slip sowest it, In the day thy plant thou causest to become great, And in the morning thy seed makest to flourish, A heap is the harvest in a day of overflowing, And of mortal pain.

then he saith to Thomas, 'Bring thy finger hither, and see my hands, and bring thy hand, and put it to my side, and become not unbelieving, but believing.' And Thomas answered and said to him, 'My Lord and my God;' Jesus saith to him, 'Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed; happy those not having seen, and having believed.'

and forsaketh Jehovah, God of his fathers, and hath not walked in the way of Jehovah. And the servants of Amon conspire against him, and put the king to death in his own house,

And it cometh to pass, at the time of the old age of Solomon, his wives have turned aside his heart after other gods, and his heart hath not been perfect with Jehovah his God, like the heart of David his father.

And the king taketh counsel, and his heads, and all the assembly in Jerusalem, to make the passover in the second month, for they have not been able to make it at that time, for the priests have not sanctified themselves sufficiently, and the people have not been gathered to Jerusalem. And the thing is right in the eyes of the king, and in the eyes of all the assembly, read more.
and they establish the thing, to cause to pass over an intimation into all Israel, from Beer-Sheba even unto Dan, to come in to make a passover to Jehovah, God of Israel, in Jerusalem, for not for a long time had they done as it is written. And the runners go with letters from the hand of the king and his heads, into all Israel and Judah, even according to the command of the king, saying, 'O sons of Israel, turn back unto Jehovah, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and He doth turn back unto the escaped part that is left of you from the hand of the kings of Asshur; and do not be like your fathers, and like your brethren, who trespassed against Jehovah, God of their fathers, and He giveth them to desolation, as ye do see. 'Now, harden not your neck like your fathers, give a hand to Jehovah, and come in to His sanctuary, that He hath sanctified to the age, and serve Jehovah your God, and the fierceness of His anger doth turn back from you; for in your turning back unto Jehovah, your brethren and your sons have mercies before their captors, even to return to this land, for gracious and merciful is Jehovah your God, and He doth not turn aside the face from you, if ye turn back unto Him.' And the runners are passing over from city to city, in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, even unto Zebulun: and they are laughing at them, and mocking at them, only, certain from Asher, and Manasseh, and from Zebulun, have been humbled, and come in to Jerusalem. Also, in Judah hath the hand of God been to give to them one heart to do the command of the king and of the heads, in the matter of Jehovah;

having faith and a good conscience, which certain having thrust away, concerning the faith did make shipwreck, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I did deliver to the Adversary, that they might be instructed not to speak evil.

And it cometh to pass, at the establishing of the kingdom of Rehoboam, and at his strengthening himself, he hath forsaken the law of Jehovah, and all Israel with him. And it cometh to pass, in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, come up hath Shishak king of Egypt against Jerusalem -- because they trespassed against Jehovah --

And at that time hath Hanani the seer come in unto Asa king of Judah, and saith unto him, 'Because of thy leaning on the king of Aram, and thou hast not leaned on Jehovah thy God, therefore hath the force of the king of Aram escaped from thy hand. Did not the Cushim and the Lubim become a very great force for multitude, for chariot, and for horsemen? and in thy leaning on Jehovah He gave them into thy hand, for Jehovah -- His eyes go to and fro in all the earth, to show Himself strong for a people whose heart is perfect towards Him; thou hast been foolish concerning this, because -- henceforth there are with thee wars.'

And all the company of the sons of Israel journey from the wilderness of Sin, on their journeyings, by the command of Jehovah, and encamp in Rephidim, and there is no water for the people to drink; and the people strive with Moses, and say, 'Give us water, and we drink.' And Moses saith to them, 'What? -- ye strive with me, what? -- ye try Jehovah?' and the people thirst there for water, and the people murmur against Moses, and say, 'Why is this? -- thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to put us to death, also our sons and our cattle, with thirst.' read more.
And Moses crieth to Jehovah, saying, 'What do I to this people? yet a little, and they have stoned me.' And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Pass over before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel, and thy rod with which thou hast smitten the River take in thy hand, and thou hast gone: Lo, I am standing before thee there on the rock in Horeb, and thou hast smitten on the rock, and waters have come out from it, and the people have drunk.' And Moses doth so before the eyes of the elders of Israel, and he calleth the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the 'strife' of the sons of Israel, and because of their 'trying' Jehovah, saying, 'Is Jehovah in our midst or not?'

And from the time that Amaziah hath turned aside from after Jehovah -- they make a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fleeth to Lachish, and they send after him to Lachish, and put him to death there,

for with few men have the force of Aram come in, and Jehovah hath given into their hand a mighty force for multitude, because they have forsaken Jehovah, God of their fathers; and with Joash they have executed judgments.

'And those upon the rock: They who, when they may hear, with joy do receive the word, and these have no root, who for a time believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

thou hast known this, that they did turn from me -- all those in Asia, of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes;

for Demas forsook me, having loved the present age, and went on to Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia,

And Jonah riseth to flee to Tarshish from the face of Jehovah, and goeth down to Joppa, and findeth a ship going to Tarshish, and he giveth its fare, and goeth down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the face of Jehovah.

And the sons of Israel add to do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and serve the Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Aram, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the Bene-Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsake Jehovah, and have not served Him; and the anger of Jehovah burneth against Israel, and He selleth them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the Bene-Ammon, and they crush and oppress the sons of Israel in that year -- eighteen years all the sons of Israel who are beyond the Jordan, in the land of the Amorite, which is in Gilead. read more.
And the Bene-Ammon pass over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, and Israel hath great distress. And the sons of Israel cry unto Jehovah, saying, 'We have sinned against Thee, even because we have forsaken our God, and serve the Baalim.' And Jehovah saith unto the sons of Israel, 'Have I not saved you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorite, from the Bene-Ammon, and from the Philistines? And the Zidonians, and Amalek, and Maon have oppressed you, and ye cry unto Me, and I save you out of their hand; and ye -- ye have forsaken Me, and serve other gods, therefore I add not to save you. Go and cry unto the gods on which ye have fixed; they -- they save you in the time of your adversity.' And the sons of Israel say unto Jehovah, 'We have sinned, do Thou to us according to all that is good in Thine eyes; only deliver us, we pray Thee, this day.' And they turn aside the gods of the stranger out of their midst, and serve Jehovah, and His soul is grieved with the misery of Israel. And the Bene-Ammon are called together, and encamp in Gilead, and the sons of Israel are gathered together, and encamp in Mizpah. And the people -- heads of Gilead -- say one unto another, 'Who is the man that doth begin to fight against the Bene-Ammon? he is for head to all inhabitants of Gilead.'

And the sons of Israel add to do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah giveth them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.