25 Bible Verses about Waste

And he divided to them his substance. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, and took a journey into a far country, and there squandered away his substance, living riotously. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that country; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields, to feed swine.read more.
And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine ate: and no man gave to him.

And he said also to his disciples, There was a certain rich man who had a steward: and he was accused to him as wasting his goods.

Go to now, ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered, and the canker of them shall be a testimony against you, and shall eat your flesh as fire: ye have laid up treasure in the last days.read more.
Behold the hire of your labourers who have reaped your fields, which is kept back by you, crieth: and the cries of them who have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabbaoth. Ye have lived delicately on earth, and been wanton; ye have cherished your hearts, as in a day of sacrifice. Ye have condemned, ye have killed the just: he doth not resist you.

For the time past of your life sufficeth to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when ye walked in lasciviousness, evil desires, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries. Wherein they think it strange, that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you, Who shall give account to him that is ready judge the living and the dead.

When they were filled, he saith to his disciples, Gather up the fragments which remain, that nothing be lost. They therefore gathered them, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley-loaves, which remained over and above to them that had eaten.

Who is this Son of man? Then Jesus said to them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness overtake you, for he that walketh in darkness, knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have the light, believe in the light, that ye may become children of light. These things spake Jesus, and retiring concealed himself from them.

We then, as fellow-labourers, do also exhort you, not to receive the grace of God in vain.

But now having known God, or rather being known of God, how turn ye back to the weak and beggarly elements, to which ye desire to be in bondage again? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have laboured upon you in vain. Brethren, I beseech you, be ye as I am; for I also am as ye were: ye have not injured me at all.

For when we sin wilfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which will devour the adversaries. He that despised the law of Moses died without mercy, under two or three witnesses.read more.
Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and counted the blood of the covenant, by which he hath been sanctified, an unholy thing, and done despite to the spirit of grace?

For it had been better for them, not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.

For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his servants, and delivered to them his goods. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, according to his own ability, and immediately took his journey. Then he who had received the five talents, went and traded with them, and made them other five talents.read more.
And likewise he that had received the two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one, went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's mony. After a long time, the lord of those servants cometh and reckoneth with them. And he that had received the five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Sir, thou deliveredst to me five talents; behold I have gained to them five talents more. His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will set thee over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Sir, thou deliveredst to me two talents; behold I have gained to them two other talents. His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things: I will set thee over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he that had received the one talent came and said, Sir, I knew that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hadst not sown, and gathering whence thou hadst not scattered. And being afraid, I went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast what is thine. His lord answering said to him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather whence I had not scattered? Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received my own with interest. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it him who hath ten talents. For to every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not, shall be taken away even what he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country, to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. And having called ten of his servants, he gave them ten pounds, and said unto them, Trade till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent an embassy after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.read more.
And when he was returned, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants to be called to him, to whom he had given the money, to know what each had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said to him, Well done, good servant; because thou hast been faithful in a very little, be thou governor over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said to him likewise, Be thou also over five cities. And another came saying, Lord, behold thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin. For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up what thou layest not down, and reapest what thou didst not sow. And he saith to him, Out of thy own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I am an austere man, taking up what I laid not down, and reaping what I did not sow. Wherefore then gavest thou not my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have received it with interest? And he said to them that stood by, Take the pound from him, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. (And they said to him, Lord, he hath ten pounds!) For I say unto you, To every one that hath shall be given: but from him that hath not, even what he hath shall be taken away from him. Moreover those my enemies, who would not that I should reign over them, bring hither and slay before me.

not as fools, but as wise men, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day; the night is coming, when no man can work.

Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good unto all men; but especially to them who are of the houshold of faith.

Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

Give not that which is holy to dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turning, rend you.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit; for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright:

Then Judas who had betrayed him, seeing that he was condemned, repenting himself, brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned, in betraying innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? See thou to it. And having thrown down the pieces of silver in the temple, he withdrew and went and hanged himself.

Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, There came to him a woman; having an alabaster box of very costly ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at table. But his disciples seeing it, had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?read more.
For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. Jesus knowing it, said to them, Why trouble ye the woman? She hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in pouring this ointment on my body, she hath done it for my burial. Verily I say to you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, this also which she hath done shall be spoken for a memorial of her.

And he being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at table, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment, of spikenard, very costly; and shaking the box, she poured it on his head. But there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence and given to the poor. And they murmured at her.read more.
But Jesus said, Let her alone: why trouble ye her? She hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor always with you, and when ye will, ye may do them good; but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she hath before-hand embalmed my body for the burial. Verily I say to you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, what she hath done shall be spoken of also, for a memorial of her.

Then Jesus, six days before the passover, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he had raised from the dead. There they made him a supper, and Martha served; but Lazarus was one of them who sat at table with him. Then Mary, taking a pound of ointment, of very costly spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.read more.
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was about to betray him, faith, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the purse, and bare what was put therein. Then Jesus said, Let her alone; against the day of my burial hath she kept this. Ye have the poor always with you: but me ye have not always.

Therefore we faint not, but even though the outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.