18 Bible Verses about Cynicism

And they said to Moses, Was there no resting-place for the dead in Egypt, that you have taken us away to come to our death in the waste land? why have you taken us out of Egypt? Did we not say to you in Egypt, Let us be as we are, working for the Egyptians? for it is better to be the servants of the Egyptians than to come to our death in the waste land.

And the children of Israel said to them, It would have been better for the Lord to have put us to death in the land of Egypt, where we were seated by the flesh-pots and had bread enough for our needs; for you have taken us out to this waste of sand, to put all this people to death through need of food.

And the people were angry with Moses and said, If only death had overtaken us when our brothers came to their death before the Lord!

Then Jezebel sent a servant to Elijah, saying, May the gods' punishment be on me if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time. And he got up, fearing for his life, and went in flight, and came to Beer-sheba in Judah, parting there from his servant; While he himself went a day's journey into the waste land, and took a seat under a broom-plant, desiring for himself only death; for he said, It is enough: now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.

Then, opening his mouth, and cursing the day of his birth, Job made answer and said, Let destruction take the day of my birth, and the night on which it was said, A man child has come into the world.read more.
That day--let it be dark; let not God take note of it from on high, and let not the light be shining on it;

Why does he give light to him who is in trouble, and life to the bitter in soul; To those whose desire is for death, but it comes not; who are searching for it more than for secret wealth;

Then you send dreams to me, and visions of fear; So that a hard death seems better to my soul than my pains. I have no desire for life, I would not be living for ever! Keep away from me, for my days are as a breath.

Why then did you make me come out of my mother's body? It would have been better for me to have taken my last breath, and for no eye to have seen me, And for me to have been as if I had not been; to have been taken from my mother's body straight to my last resting-place.

Sorrow is mine, my mother, because you have given birth to me, a cause of fighting and argument in all the earth! I have not made men my creditors and I am not in debt to any, but every one of them is cursing me.

A curse on the day of my birth: let there be no blessing on the day when my mother had me. A curse on the man who gave the news to my father, saying, You have a male child; making him very glad. May that man be like the towns overturned by the Lord without mercy: let a cry for help come to his ears in the morning, and the sound of war in the middle of the day;read more.
Because he did not put me to death before my birth took place: so my mother's body would have been my last resting-place, and she would have been with child for ever. Why did I come from my mother's body to see pain and sorrow, so that my days might be wasted with shame?

So now, O Lord, give ear to my prayer and take my life from me; for death is better for me than life.

Then when the sun came up, God sent a burning east wind: and so great was the heat of the sun on his head that Jonah was overcome, and, requesting death for himself, said, Death is better for me than life.

If, after the way of men, I was fighting with beasts at Ephesus, what profit is it to me? If the dead do not come to life again, let us take our pleasure in feasting, for tomorrow we come to an end.

His strength is made feeble for need of food, and destruction is waiting for his falling footstep.

And Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, made answer and said, I am young, and you are very old, so I was in fear, and kept myself from putting my knowledge before you. I said to myself, It is right for the old to say what is in their minds, and for those who are far on in years to give out wisdom. But truly it is the spirit in man, even the breath of the Ruler of all, which gives them knowledge.read more.
It is not the old who are wise, and those who are full of years have not the knowledge of what is right.

Like snow in summer and rain when the grain is being cut, so honour is not natural for the foolish. As the sparrow in her wandering and the swallow in her flight, so the curse does not come without a cause. A whip for the horse, a mouth-bit for the ass, and a rod for the back of the foolish.read more.
Do not give to the foolish man a foolish answer, or you will be like him. Give a foolish man a foolish answer, or he will seem wise to himself. He who sends news by the hand of a foolish man is cutting off his feet and drinking in damage. The legs of one who has no power of walking are hanging loose; so is a wise saying in the mouth of the foolish. Giving honour to a foolish man is like attempting to keep a stone fixed in a cord. Like a thorn which goes up into the hand of a man overcome by drink, so is a wise saying in the mouth of a foolish man. Like an archer wounding all who go by, is a foolish man overcome by drink. Like a dog going back to the food which he has not been able to keep down, is the foolish man doing his foolish acts over again.

All this I took to heart, and my heart saw it all: that the upright and the wise and their works are in the hand of God; and men may not be certain if it will be love or hate; all is to no purpose before them. Because to all there is one event, to the upright man and to the evil, to the clean and to the unclean, to him who makes an offering and to him who makes no offering; as is the good so is the sinner; he who takes an oath is as he who has fear of it.

And they kept watch on him, and sent out secret representatives, who were acting the part of good men, in order that they might get something from his words, on account of which they might give him up to the government and into the power of the ruler. And they put a question to him, saying, Master, we are certain that your teaching and your words are right, and that you have no respect for a man's position, but you are teaching the true way of God: Is it right for us to make payment of taxes to Caesar or not?read more.
But he saw through their trick and said to them, Let me see a penny. Whose image and name are on it? And they said, Caesar's. And he said, Then give to Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to God the things which are God's. And they were not able to get anything from these words before the people: but they were full of wonder at his answer, and said nothing.