20 Bible Verses about Carelessness

Or when a person swears, speaking thoughtlessly with [his] lips, to do evil or to do good {with regard to} anything that {the person} in a sworn oath speaks thoughtlessly, but {he is unaware of it}, he will be guilty {in any of} these.

[It is] a snare to humankind to say rashly "[It is] holy," and after vows, to scrutinize.

But I tell you that every worthless word that they speak, people will give an account for it on the day of judgment!

" 'If a man opens a pit or if a man digs a pit and he does not cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit will pay restitution; he will pay silver to its owner, but the dead [animal] will be for him.

" 'And if men fight and they injure a pregnant woman, and her children go out and there is not serious injury, he will surely be fined as the woman's husband demands concerning him {and as the judges determine}. And if there is serious injury, you will give life in place of life, eye in place of eye, tooth in place of tooth, hand in place of hand, foot in place of foot,read more.
burn in place of burn, wound in place of wound, bruise in place of bruise.

" 'If a man grazes [his livestock] in a field or a vineyard and he releases his livestock and it grazes in the field of another, he will make restitution [from] the best of his field and the best of his vineyard.

Or if a person touches anything unclean, {whether} an unclean [wild] animal's dead body or an unclean domestic animal's dead body or an unclean swarmer's dead body, but {he is unaware of it}, he [is] unclean and he is guilty. Or when he touches human uncleanness, {namely} any uncleanness of his by which he might become unclean, but {he is unaware of it}, and he himself finds out, then he will be guilty.

" 'Or if in an instant he shoved him, not in hostility, or threw something at him without intention, or with any stone, without seeing it dropped on him so that he dies, while [he was] not seeking his injury, then the community will judge between the striker and between the blood avenger according to these ordinances.

" 'If Israel's whole assembly did wrong unintentionally and the matter was concealed from the assembly's eyes, and they acted [against] {any of} Yahweh's commands that should not be {violated}, so that they incur guilt,

" 'But if you go astray and you do not follow all these commandments that Yahweh commanded to Moses, all that Yahweh commanded you by the hand of Moses from the day that Yahweh commanded and beyond, throughout your generations, and if it was done unintentionally {without the knowledge} of the community, then the entire community must prepare one {young bull} as a burnt offering, as a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh, and its grain offering and its libation, according to the stipulation, and one male goat as a sin offering.read more.
The priest will make atonement for all of the community of the {Israelites}, and {they will be forgiven} because it [was] unintentional; they will bring their offering, an offering made by fire for Yahweh, their sin offering {before Yahweh} for their unintentional sin. All of the community of the {Israelites} will be forgiven, as well as the alien that dwells in their midst, because the whole community [was involved] in the unintentional wrong.

" 'If {anyone} of the people of the land sins by an unintentional wrong by {violating} one of Yahweh's commands that should not be {violated}, so that he incurs guilt,

"Speak to the {Israelites}, saying, 'If a person sins by an unintentional wrong from any of Yahweh's commands that should not be {violated}, and he {violates} {any of them}-- if the anointed priest sins, {bringing guilt on the people}, then, concerning the sin that he has {committed}, he shall bring {a young bull} without defect for Yahweh as a sin offering.

" 'If one person sins unintentionally, that person will present a female goat {in its first year} as a sin offering. And the priest will make atonement for the person who {sinned unintentionally} {before Yahweh}, to make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.

And Jephthah made a vow to Yahweh, and he said, "If indeed you will give the {Ammonites} into my hand, whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from the {Ammonites} will be Yahweh's, and I will offer it [as] a burnt offering." And Jephthah crossed [over] to the {Ammonites} to make war against them; and Yahweh gave them into his hand.read more.
And he defeated them [with] a very great blow, from Aroer as far as Minnith, twenty towns, up to Abel Keramim. And the {Ammonites} were subdued before the {Israelites}. Jephthah came to Mizpah, to his house, and behold his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and dancing. She [was] his only child; he did not have a son or daughter except her. And the moment he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "Ah! My daughter, you have caused me to bow down, and you have become my trouble. {I made an oath} to Yahweh, and I cannot take [it] back."

Once Jacob cooked a thick stew, and Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, "Give me {some of that red stuff} to gulp down, for I am exhausted!" (Therefore his name was called Edom). Then Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright {first}."read more.
And Esau said, "Look, I am going to die; now what [is] this birthright to me?" Then Jacob said, "Swear to me {first}." And he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread, and thick lentil stew, and he ate and drank. Then he got up and went away. So Esau despised his birthright.

But [when] Herod's birthday celebration took place, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst [of them] and pleased Herod. Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. And coached by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter!"read more.
And [although] the king was distressed, because of his oaths and his {dinner guests} he commanded [the request] to be granted. And he sent [orders] [and] had John beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought [it] to her mother.

And a suitable day came when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers and military tribunes and the most prominent [men] of Galilee. And [when] the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced and pleased Herod and {his dinner guests}, the king said to the girl, "Ask me [for] whatever you want, and I will give [it] to you." And he swore to her, "Anything whatever you ask me for I will give you, up to half my kingdom!"read more.
And she went out [and] said to her mother, "What should I ask for?" And she said, "The head of John the baptizer." And she came in immediately with haste to the king [and] asked, saying, "I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter immediately." And [although he] was deeply grieved, the king, because of his oaths and {dinner guests}, did not want to refuse her. And immediately the king sent an executioner [and] ordered [him] to bring his head. And he went [and] beheaded him in the prison. And he brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain came down and the rivers came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it collapsed, and its fall was great."

But the one who hears [my words] and does not do [them] is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation, which the river burst against, and immediately it collapsed--and the collapse of that house was great!"

"Then the kingdom of heaven may be compared to ten virgins who took their lamps [and] went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were foolish and five [were] wise. For [when] the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take olive oil with them.read more.
But the wise ones took olive oil in flasks with their lamps. And [when] the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. But in the middle of the night there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' Then all those virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish ones said to the wise ones, 'Give us [some] of your olive oil, because our lamps are going out!' But the wise ones answered saying, "Certainly there will never be enough for us and for you! Go instead to those who sell [olive oil] and buy [some] for yourselves.' But [while] they had gone away to buy [it] the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding celebration, and the door was shut. And later the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open [the door] for us!' But he answered [and] said, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you!' Therefore be on the alert, because you do not know the day or the hour!