63 Bible Verses about Shrewdness
Most Relevant Verses
Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves; be ye therefore discerning as serpents, and pure as doves.
And the Lord praised the steward of injustice, because he did wisely: for the sons of this life are wiser than the children of light in their generation. And I say to you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of injustice; that, when ye fail, they might receive you into lasting tents.
And he said to his disciples, A certain man was rich, who had a steward; and he was slandered to him as dispersing his goods. And having called him, he said to him, What is this I hear of thee give back the word of thy stewardship; for thou canst no more be steward. And the steward said in himself, What shall I do? for my lord takes away the stewardship from me: I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.read more.
I have resolved what I will do, that, when I should be removed from the stewardship, they might receive me in their houses. And having called upon each one of his lord's debtors, he said to the first, How much owest thou to my lord And he said, An hundred baths of oil. And he said to him, Take thou thy book, and having quickly sat down, write fifty. Then said he to another, How much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said to him, Take thy book, and write eighty.
Therefore, every one which hears these my words and does them, I will liken him to a discerning man which built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and rivers came, and winds blew, and fell upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon the rock.
Every one coming to me, and hearing my words, and doing them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like to a man building a house, who digged, and deepened, and set the foundation upon the rock: and there having been an overflow, the river dashed against that house, and was not able to move it: for it was founded upon the rock.
The simple will believe to every word: and the prudent will understand to his going.
The foolish will deride his father's instruction: and he watching reproof will be crafty.
The heart of him understanding will obtain knowledge and the ear of the wise will seek knowledge.
Who then is the faithful and discerning servant, which his lord set over his attendance, to give them food in due season Happy that servant which his lord, having come, shall find doing thus. Truly I say to you, That he shall set him over all his possessions.
And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, which the Lord will set over his household, to give the allowance of wheat in due time? Happy that servant, which his Lord, having come, shall find so doing. Truly I say to you, that he will set him over all his possessions.
But Jesus, having known their evil, said, Why tempt ye me, hypocrites? Show me the piece of money of tribute. And they brought him a drachma. And he says to them, Whose is this image and inscription?read more.
They say to him, Caesar's. Then says he to them, Give back then to Caesar the things of Caesar; and the things of God to God. And having heard, they wondered, and having left him, they departed.
Should we give, or not give? And he knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a drachma that I might see it. And they brought. And he says to them, Whose is this image and inscription? And they said to him, Caesar's. And Jesus having answered, said to them, Give back Caesar's things to Caesar, and the things of God to God. And they wondered at him.
And having perceived their craft, he said to them, Why tempt ye me? Show me drachma. Whose image and inscription has it? And having answered they said, Caesar's. And he said to them, Return therefore to Caesar, Caesar's things, and to God the things of God.read more.
And they were not able to seize upon his word before the people: and having wondered at his answer, they were silent.
And for the rising up of the dead, read ye not that spoken by God, saying, I am God of Abraham, and God of Isaac, and God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
And concerning the dead that they are raised: have ye not read in the book of Moses, at the bramble, how God spake to him, I the God of Abraham, and God of Isaac, and God of Jacob He is not God of the dead, but God of the living; ye therefore go astray greatly.
And that the dead are raised, Moses made known at the bramble, when he calls the Lord, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob. And he is not God of the dead, but of the living: for all live to him.
And when they continued asking him, having lifted up the head, he said to them, Let him faultless among you, first cast a stone at her.
Go now, prepare yet, and know, and see his place where his foot shall be, who saw him there: for it was said to me being crafty, he will be crafty. And see ye, and know of all the hiding places where he will hide there, and turn back to me prepared, and I went with you: and it being if he is on earth, and I sought him in all the thousands of Judah.
And Joab son of Zeruiah, knew that the king's heart was for Absalom. And Joab will send to Tekoah and take from thence a wise woman, and he will say to her, Thou shalt mourn, and put on now garments of mourning, and thou shalt not be anointed with oil, and be thou as a woman this many days mourning for the dead: And come to the king and speak to him according to this word. And Joab will put words in her mouth.
And all Israel will hear the judgment which the king judged, and they will be afraid of the face of the king, for they saw that the wisdom of Jehovah was in the midst of him to do judgment
And he will understand, and he will spread from all his sons to all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to all the cities of fortifications: and he will give to them food for multitude. And he will ask for a multitude of wives.
And Daniel will say to Melzar, whom the chief of the eunuchs appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, Prove now thy servants, ten days; and they shall give to us from seed herbs, and we will eat, and water, and we will drink. And our aspects shall be seen before thee, and the aspect of the children eating the king's dainties: and according to what thou shalt see, do with thy servants.
Then Herod, seeing he was deluded by the magi, was very angry, and having sent, destroyed all the children which in Bethlehem, and in all its bounds, from two years and under, according to the time he examined thoroughly of the magi.
And Jesus said to her, Permit the children first to be satisfied; for it is not good to take the children's bread, and cast to little dogs. And she answered and says to him, Yes, Lord: for also the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs. And he said to her, For this word retire; the demon has gone out of thy daughter.
And he, having answered, said, It is not good to take the children's bread, and cast it to the little dogs. And she said, Yes, Lord; for the little dogs also eat from the crumbs falling from the table of their lord. Then Jesus, having answered, said to her, O woman, great thy faith: let it be to thee as thou wilt. And her daughter was healed from that hour.
They will search out iniquities; they completed a search searched out: and a man drew near, and a deep heart.
For thy mouth will accustom itself to thine iniquity, and thou wilt choose the tongue of the crafty.
Against thy people they will make crafty consultation, and they will counsel against thy hidden ones.
To the overseer, chanting to David: Deliver me, O Jehovah, from the evil man: wilt thou guard me from the man of violences Who reckoned evils in the heart; all the day they will gather together wars. They sharpened their tongue as a serpent; the poison of asps under their lips. Silence,
And behold, a woman to his meeting, the attire of a harlot, and hidden of heart
O, full of deceit, and all dexterity, son of the devil, enemy of all justice, Wilt thou cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?
That we be no more babes, tossed about, and carried around by every wind of doctrine, in the playing at dice of men, in craft, with the artifice of deceit;
With the merciful thou wilt be merciful, With the perfect man thou wilt be perfect With the chosen thou wilt be chosen, And with the perverse thou wilt be unseasoned.
With the kind thou wilt show thyself kind; and with the blameless man thou wilt be perfect With the purified thou wilt be purified, and with the perverse thou wilt show thyself perverse
Bringing to nought the purposes of the crafty, and their hand shall not do an undertaking. He took the wise in their craftiness, and the counsel of the perverse was headlong.
A man of Belial, a man of iniquity, goes with perverseness of mouth. Pinching the eyes, speaking with the feet, teaching with his fingers; Perverseness in his heart, fabricating evil in all time, he will send forth strifes.read more.
For this, his destruction shall come suddenly; in a moment he shall be broken, and none healing.
The good shall obtain acceptance from Jehovah: and the man of mischief he will condemn.
Thus said Jehovah redeeming thee, and forming thee from the belly, I am Jehovah making all; stretching forth the heavens alone; spreading out the earth from myself: Bringing to naught the signs at vain boasters, and he will make those divining, foolish; turning back the wise backward, and he will frustrate their knowledge.
For it has been written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and put away the understanding of the intelligent.
For this, behold me adding to be wonderful with this people, dealing wonderfully and being a wonder: and the wisdom of their wise perished, and the understanding of their understanding ones shall be hid.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it has been written, He seizing the wise in their deceptions. And again, The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are vain.
He reaping anger will do folly: and a man of mischiefs will be hated.
And I am afraid lest, as the serpent completely deceived Eve in his craft, so your thoughts be corrupted from the simplicity which in Christ.
And the serpent was crafty above every beast of the field which Jehovah God made; and he will say to the woman, Is it because God said ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
That we might not be taken advantage of by Satan: for we are not ignorant of his inventions.
For such the falsely sent, crafty workers, being transformed into the sent of Christ. And not wonderful; for Satan himself is transformed into a messenger of light. No great thing therefore if also his servants are transformed as servants of justice; whose end shall be according to their works.
Then the Pharisees, having gone, took counsel how they might ensnare him in word. And they send to him their disciples, with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, and care is to thee for none; for thou lookest not to the face of men. Therefore say to us, What seems to thee Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?
And they sent to him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, that they might catch him in the word. And they having come, say to him, Teacher, we know that thou art true, and thou carest not for any one: for thou lookest not to the face of men, but in truth thou teachest the way of God: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or no? Should we give, or not give? And he knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a drachma that I might see it.
And having observed narrowly, they sent liers-in-wait, feigning themselves to be just, that they might seize upon his word, to deliver him to the beginning and authority of the leader. And they asked him, saying. Teacher, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, and thou receivest not the face, but teachest in truth the way of God: Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not
Then were gathered together the chief priests, and scribes, and the more ancient of the people, into the court-yard of the chief priest, called Caliaphas, And they counselled together, that they might obtain Jesus by stratagem, and might kill.
And after two days was the pascha, and the unleavened loaves: and the chief priests and scribes sought how, having taken him by fraud, they might kill. And they said, Not in the festival, lest there be an uproar of the people.
And the festival of unleavened drew near, called the Pascha. And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people.
And Jacob will say, Sell this day thy birth-right to me. And Esau will say, Behold, I am going to die, and what to me this birthright? And Jacob will say, Swear to me this day: and he will swear to him: and he will sell his birth-right to Jacob.
And Rebekah will take desirable covering of Esau her son, the great, which was with her in the house, and will put upon Jacob her son, the small. And the nakedness of the skins of the shegoats, she put upon his hands and upon the smoothness of his neck.
Come, we will be wise with them, lest they shall multiply, and it was when war shall happen, and also being added to our armies and fighting against us, and they went up from the land.
And the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua did to Jericho and to Ai. And they will do in guile, and will go and will lay snares, and will take sacking worn out, for their asses, and leather sacks of wine worn out, and being rent and bound up; And shoes worn out and mended, upon their feet, and garments worn out upon them; and all the bread of their food dry; it was crumbs.read more.
And they will come to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, and will say to him and to the men of Israel, From a land far off we came: and now cut out to us a covenant.
And to Amnon a friend, and his name Jonadab, son of Shimeah, David's brother: and Jonadab a man exceeding wise.
And Sanballat sent to me and Geshem, saying, Come, and we will pass over together in the villages in the valley of Ono. And they reckoned to do evil to me And I shall send messengers to them, saying, I do a great work, and I shall not be able to come down: wherefore shall the work cease when I shall desist and come down to you? And they will send to me according to this word four times; and I shall turn them back according to this word.read more.
And Sanballat will send his young man to me according to this word the fifth time, and a letter opened in his hand; Being written in it, It was heard in the nations, and Geshem said, Thou and the Jews are reckoning to rebel: for this thou buildest the wall, and thou to be to them for king according to these words. And also thou didst set up prophets to call upon thee in Jerusalem, saying, A king in Judah: and now it will be heard by the king according to these words: and now come and we will counsel together. And I shall send to him saying, It was not according to these words which thou sayest, for from thy heart thou feignest them. For all of them causing us to be afraid, saying, their hands shall be slackened from the work, and it shall not be done. And now strengthen my hand. And I came to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabeel, and he was shut up; and he will say, We will pass over to the house of God into the midst of the temple, and we will shut the doors of the temple: for they are coming to kill thee; and by night coming to kill thee. And saying, Shall a man like me flee? and who as I that shall go into the temple and live? I will not go in. And I shall know, and behold, not God sent him; for he spake the prophecy against me: and Tobiah and Sanballat hired him. So that he was hired that I shall be afraid and do thus, and sin, and it was to them for an evil name, so that they shall reproach me.
And "let it be, I overloaded you not: but being dexterous, I took you by contrivance.
