47 Bible Verses about Criticism, against believers

And Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban and his kinsmen pitched [their tents] in the hill country of Gilead. Then Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done that you {tricked me} and have carried off my daughters like captives of the sword? Why did you hide [your intention] to flee and {trick me}, and did not tell me so that I would have sent you away with joy and song and tambourine and lyre?read more.
And [why] did you not give me opportunity to kiss my grandsons and my daughters [goodbye]? Now you have behaved foolishly [by] doing [this]. {It is in my power} to do harm to you, but the God of your father spoke to me last night saying, '{Take care} from speaking with Jacob, whether good or evil.' Now, you have surely gone because you desperately longed for the house of your father, [but] why did you steal my gods?"

Then Yahweh afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues on account of the matter of Sarai the wife of Abram. Then Pharaoh called for Abram and said, "What [is] this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she [was] your wife? Why did you say 'She [is] my sister,' so that I took her to myself as a wife? Now then, here [is] your wife. Take her and go."read more.
And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and then sent him and his wife and all that [was] with him away.

And Sarai said to Abram, "may my harm [be] upon you. {I had my servant sleep with you}, and [when] she saw that she had conceived, {she no longer respected me}. May Yahweh judge between me and you!"

And Abimelech called for Abraham and said to him, "What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you that you brought upon me and upon my kingdom a great sin? You have done things to me that should not be done." And Abimelech said to Abraham, "{What were you thinking} that you did this thing?"

When Rachel saw that she could not bear children to Jacob, Rachel envied her sister. And she said to Jacob, "Give me children--if not, I will die!" And Jacob {became angry} with Rachel. And he said, "[Am] I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"

And the people thirsted for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, "Why {ever} did you bring us up from Egypt to kill me and my sons and my cattle with thirst?"

{And then} in those days when Moses had grown up, he went out to his brothers, and he saw their {forced labor}, and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, [one of] his brothers. And he turned here and there, and he saw no one, and he struck the Egyptian, and he hid him in the sand. And he went out on the second day, and there were two Hebrew men fighting, and he said to the guilty [one], "Why do you strike your neighbor?"read more.
And he said, "Who {appointed you as a commander} and a judge over us? [Are] you intending to kill me like you killed the Egyptian?" And Moses was afraid, and he said, "Surely the matter has become known."

And the foremen of the {Israelites} saw they were in trouble {with the saying}, "You will not reduce from your bricks {for each day} on its day." And they met Moses and Aaron, [who were] waiting to meet them when they [were] going out from Pharaoh. And they said to them, "May Yahweh look upon you and judge because you have caused our fragrance to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants [so as] to put a sword into their hand to kill us."

And they said to Moses, "Because there are no graves in Egypt? Is that why you have taken us to die in the desert? What [is] this you have done to us by bringing us out from Egypt! Isn't this the word we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, 'Leave us alone [so that] we can serve Egypt!' because serving Egypt is better for us than our dying in the desert."

And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?"

And all the community of the {Israelites} grumbled against Moses and against Aaron in the desert.

And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he took (because he took a Cushite wife); and they said, "Has Yahweh spoken only through Moses? Has not Yahweh also spoken through us?" And Yahweh heard it.

Now Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, the descendants of Reuben, took two hundred and fifty men from the {Israelites}, leaders of the community summoned from the assembly, {renowned men}, and {they confronted} Moses. They were assembled in front of Moses and Aaron, and they said to them, "{You take too much upon yourselves}! All of the community is holy, every one of them, and Yahweh [is] in their midst, so why do you raise yourselves over the assembly of Yahweh?"

His oldest brother Eliab heard while he was speaking to the men, {and Eliab became very angry against David} and said, "Why have you come down today, and with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumptuousness and the evil of your heart! For you have come down in order to see the battle!"

It happened that when the ark of Yahweh came [into] the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked down through the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before Yahweh, and she despised him in her heart. They brought the ark of Yahweh and set it in its place in the middle of the tent which David had pitched for it. Then David offered up burnt offerings and fellowship offerings in the presence of Yahweh. When David had finished from the sacrificing of the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh of hosts.read more.
Then he distributed to all the people, to all the multitude of Israel, from man to woman, to each: one ring-shaped piece of bread, one cake of dates, and one cake of raisins; and all the people went each to his house. When David returned to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David. She said, "How the king of Israel honored himself today {by uncovering himself} before the eyes of the maids of his servants, {as the total exposure of a worthless one}." So David said to Michal, "[In the] presence of Yahweh who chose me {over} your father and {over} his household, to appoint me [as] leader over the people of Yahweh, over Israel, I have celebrated before Yahweh. I will demean myself again more than this, and I will be abased in my eyes, but with the maids whom you mentioned, with them I will be honored." So for Michal the daughter of Saul, she had no child until the day of her death.

It happened afterward that Absalom made himself a chariot with horses and fifty men running before him. Absalom used to rise early in the morning, and he stood {beside} the road [at] the gate; {anyone} who had a legal dispute to bring to the king for judgment Absalom would call to him and say, "{Where are you from?}" And he would say, "Your servant [is] from one of the tribes of Israel." Then Absalom would say to him, "Look, your case [is] good and right, but for you there is no hearing with the king."read more.
Then Absalom would say, "{Oh, that someone would} appoint me as judge in the land, that {anyone} might come to me who had a legal dispute or a case, and I would give him justice."

Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said, "{How long} will you say these [things], and the words of your mouth [be] a mighty wind?

Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said, "Should an abundance of words go unanswered, or {a man full of talk} be vindicated? Should your loose talk put people to silence? {And when you mock, shall no one put you to shame}?read more.
For you say, 'My teaching [is] pure, and I am clean in your sight.' But, {O that} God might speak, and [that] he would open his lips to you, and [that] he would tell you [the] secrets of wisdom, for {insight has many sides}. And know that God {on your behalf} has forgotten {some of} your guilt.

Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, "Should [the] wise answer [with] windy knowledge, and should he fill his stomach [with the] east wind? Should he argue in talk [that] is not profitable or [in] words with which he cannot do good?read more.
"{What is worse}, you yourself are doing away with fear, and you are lessening meditation {before} God. For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose [the] tongue of [the] crafty. Your mouth condemns you, and not I; and your lips testify against you.

For {as often as} I speak, I must cry out violence and destruction. I must shout, for the word of Yahweh has become for me a disgrace and derision all day [long].

When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "[Is] this you [who] throws Israel into confusion?"

Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah came near and slapped Micaiah on the cheek and said, "When did the Spirit of Yahweh pass from me to speak with you?" Then Micaiah said, "Behold, you [are about to] see on that day when you go {from room to room} to hide." The king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the commander of the city and to Jehoash the son of the king;read more.
and say, 'Thus says the king: "Put this [fellow in] the house of imprisonment and feed him reduced rations of food and water until I come in peace." '"

Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam the king of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to endure all of his words. For this Amos has said, 'Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly go into exile [away] from his land.'" And Amaziah said to Amos, " seer, go, flee to the land of Judah and earn food there and prophesy there!"

And he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they were not even able to eat a meal. And [when] {his family} heard [this], they went out to restrain him, for they were saying, "He has lost his mind!"

And [when they] saw him, they were astounded and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you done this to us? Look, your father and I have been searching for you anxiously!"

Now the feast of the Jews--the [feast of] Tabernacles--was near. So his brothers said to him, "Depart from here and go to Judea, so that your disciples also can see your works that you are doing. For no one does anything in secret and [yet] he himself desires to be {publicly recognized}. If you are doing these [things], reveal yourself to the world!"read more.
(For not even his brothers believed in him.)

And he was in the stern sleeping on the cushion, and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, is it not a concern to you that we are perishing?"

From that time [on] Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many [things] from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised on the third day. And Peter took him aside [and] began to rebuke him, saying, {God forbid}, Lord! This will never happen to you!" But he turned around [and] said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a cause for stumbling to me, because you are not intent on the things of God, but the things of people!"

And he began to teach them that it was necessary [for] the Son of Man to suffer many [things] and to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be killed, and after three days to rise. And he was speaking openly [about] the subject, and Peter took him aside [and] began to rebuke him. But turning around and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan, because you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but the things of people!"

But Martha was distracted with much preparation, so she approached [and] said, "Lord, is it not a concern to you that my sister has left me alone to make preparations? Then tell her that she should help me!"

Thus many of his disciples, [when they] heard [it], said, "This saying is hard! Who can understand it?" But Jesus, [because he] knew within himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, "Does this cause you to be offended?

Then he came to Simon Peter. He said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will understand after these [things]." Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet {forever}!" Jesus replied to him, "Unless I wash you, you do not have a share with me."read more.
Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also [my] hands and [my] head!"

And it happened [as] he {was dining} in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners were coming [and] {dining} with Jesus and his disciples. And [when they] saw [it], the Pharisees began to say to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

And it happened that he {was dining} in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners {were dining with} Jesus and his disciples, for there were many and they were following him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, [when they] saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, began to say to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

And Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining for the meal with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes began to complain to his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?"

At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. And his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck off heads of grain and eat [them]. But [when] the Pharisees saw [it], they said to him, "Behold, your disciples are doing what it is not permitted to do on the Sabbath!"

And it happened that he was going through the grain fields on the Sabbath, and his disciples began to make [their] way [while] plucking off the heads of grain. And the Pharisees began to say to him, "Behold, why are they doing what is not permitted on the Sabbath?"

Now it happened that on a Sabbath he went through the grain fields, and his disciples were picking and eating the heads of grain, rubbing [them] in [their] hands. But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is not permitted on the Sabbath?

Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were drawing near to hear him. And both the Pharisees and the scribes were complaining, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!"

Now the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven," and they were saying, "Is this one not Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"

And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming!"

Now some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak like this? He is blaspheming! Who is able to forgive sins except God alone?"

And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who is able to forgive sins except God alone?"

The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham and the prophets died, and you say, 'If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death {forever}.' You are not greater than our father Abraham who died, [are you]? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself [to be]?"

But when the seven days were about to be completed, the Jews from Asia who had seen him in the temple [courts] stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, shouting, "Israelite men, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place! And furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple, and has defiled this holy place!"

Now [when] Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews rose up with one purpose against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, saying, "This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law!"

because it is said, "His letters [are] severe and powerful, but his bodily presence [is] weak and his speech is of no account."