54 Bible Verses about Woe

Woe to thee who destroys, and thou were not destroyed, and deal treacherously, and they did not deal treacherously with thee! When thou have ceased to destroy, thou shall be destroyed, and when thou have made an end of dealing trea

Of Moab. Thus says LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Woe to Nebo! For it is laid waste. Kiriathaim is put to shame; it is taken. Misgab is put to shame and broken down. The praise of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they have devised evil against her: Come, and let us cut her off from being a nation. Thou also, O madmen, shall be brought to silence. The sword shall pursue thee.

Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and rapine. The prey departs not. The noise of the whip, and the noise of the rattling of wheels, and prancing horses, and bounding chariots, the horseman mounting, and the flashing sword, and the glittering spear, and a multitude of slain, and a great heap of corpses, and there is no end of the bodies. They stumble upon their bodies,read more.
because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favored harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, who sells nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. Behold, I am against thee, says LORD of hosts, and I will uncover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will show the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame. And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazing-stock. And it shall come to pass, that all those who look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste. Who will bemoan her? From where shall I seek comforters for thee?

Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him who increases that which is not his (how long?) and who loads himself with pledges! Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee. And thou shall be for booty to them? Because thou have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder thee, because of men's blood, and for the violence done to the land, to the city and to all who dwell therein.read more.
Woe to him who gets an evil gain for his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the hand of evil! Thou have devised shame to thy house, by cutting off many peoples, and have sinned against thy soul. For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it. Woe to him who builds a town with blood, and establishes a city by iniquity! Behold, is it not of LORD of hosts that the peoples labor for the fire, and the nations weary themselves for vanity? For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of LORD, as the waters cover the sea. Woe to him who gives his neighbor drink, who adds thy venom, and also makes him drunken, that thou may look on their nakedness! Thou are filled with shame, and not glory. Drink thou also, and be as one uncircumcised. The cup of LORD's right hand shall come around to thee, and foul shame shall be upon thy glory. For the violence done to Lebanon shall cover thee and the plunder of the beasts ([which] made them afraid), because of men's blood, and for the violence done to the land, to the city and to all who dwell therein. What profits the graven image, that the maker of it has engraved it, the molten image, even the teacher of lies, that he who fashions its form trusts in it, to make dumb idols? Woe to him who says to the wood, Awake, to the dumb stone, Arise! Shall this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it. But LORD is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him.

Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of LORD is against you, O Canaan, the land of the Philistines. I will destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.

Woe to them! For they have wandered from me. Destruction to them! For they have trespassed against me. Though I would redeem them, yet they have spoken lies against me. And they have not cried to me with their heart, but they howl upon their beds. They assemble themselves for grain and new wine. They rebel against me. Though I have taught and strengthened their arms, yet they devise mischief against me.read more.
They return, but not to [him] on high. They are like a deceitful bow. Their rulers shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue. This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.

Woe to the rebellious sons, says LORD, who take counsel, but not of me, and who make a league, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin, who set out to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt!

Woe to him who strives with his maker, a potsherd among the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him that fashions it, What are thou making? or thy work, He has no hands? Woe to him who says to a father, What are thou begetting? or to a woman, With what are thou travailing?

And it has come to pass according to all thy wickedness, (woe, woe to thee! says lord LORD), that thou have built thyself a vaulted place, and have made thee a lofty place in every street. Thou have built thy lofty place at the head of every way, and have made thy beauty an abomination. And have opened thy feet to everyone who passed by, and multiplied thy whoredom.read more.
Thou have also committed fornication with the Egyptians, thy neighbors, great of flesh, and have multiplied thy whoredom, to provoke me to anger. Behold therefore, I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thy portion, and delivered thee to the will of those who hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of thy lewd way.

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says LORD. Therefore thus says LORD, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who feed my people: Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them. Behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, says LORD.

And the word of LORD came to me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say thou to those who prophesy out of their own heart, Hear ye the word of LORD. Thus says lord LORD: Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!read more.
O Israel, thy prophets have been like foxes in the waste places. Ye have not gone up into the gaps, nor built up the wall for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of LORD. They have seen falsehood and lying divination, who say, LORD says, but LORD has not sent them. And they have made men to hope that the word would be confirmed. Have ye not seen a FALSE vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, in that ye say, LORD says, albeit I have not spoken? Therefore thus says lord LORD: Because ye have spoken falsehood, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, says lord LORD. And my hand shall be against the prophets who see FALSE visions, and who divine lies. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the

And the word of LORD came to me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says lord LORD: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the sheep? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe yourselves with the wool. Ye kill the fatlings, but ye do not feed the sheep.read more.
Ye have not strengthened the diseased, nor have ye healed that which was sick, nor have ye bound up that which was broken, nor have ye brought back that which was driven away, nor have ye sought that which was lost, but ye have rul And they were scattered because there was no shepherd. And they became food to all the beasts of the field, and were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill. Yea, my sheep were scattered upon all the face of the earth, and there was none who searched or sought. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of LORD: As I live, says lord LORD, surely inasmuch as my sheep became a prey, and my sheep became food to all the beasts of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did my shepherds search for my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselve therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of LORD. Thus says lord LORD: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep. Neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more, and I will deliver my sheep f

Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, to the oppressing city! She obeyed not the voice. She received not correction. She trusted not in LORD. She did not draw near to her God. Her rulers in the midst of her are roaring lions. Her judges are evening wolves. They leave nothing till the morrow.read more.
Her prophets are airy and treacherous men. Her priests have profaned the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law.

And LORD said to me, Take to thee yet again the instruments of a foolish shepherd. For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who will not visit those who are cut off, nor will he seek those who are scattered, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which is sound, but he will eat the flesh of the fat, Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock! The sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye. His arm shall be entirely dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.

Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who are secure in the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel come! Pass ye to Calneh, and see, and from there go ye to Hamath the great, then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms? Or is their border greater than your border? Ye who put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near,read more.
who lay upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall, who sing idle songs to the sound of the viol, who invent for themselves instruments of music, like David, who drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief oils, but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. Therefore they shall now go captive with the first who go captive, and the revelry of those who stretched themselves shall pass away.

Woe to you who desire the day of LORD! Why would ye have the day of LORD? It is darkness, and not light. As if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of LORD be darkness, and not light, even very dark, and no brightness in it?read more.
I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Yea, though ye offer me your burnt-offerings and meal-offerings, I will not accept them, nor will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs, for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. But let justice roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers who write perverseness, to turn aside the needy from justice, and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey! And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? To whom will ye flee for help? And where will ye leave your glory?read more.
They shall only bow down under the prisoners, and shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Woe to those who join house to house, who lay field to field, till there is no room, and ye be made to dwell alone in the midst of the land! In my ears [says] LORD of hosts, of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant. For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield [but] an ephah.read more.
Woe to those who rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink, who tarry late into the night, till wine inflame them! And the harp and the lute, the tambourine and the pipe, and wine, are [in] their feasts, but they do not regard the work of LORD, nor have they considered the operation of his hands. Therefore my people have gone into captivity for lack of knowledge, and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude are parched with thirst. Therefore Sheol has enlarged its desire, and opened its mouth without measure. And their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he who rejoices among them, descend [into it]. And the common man is bowed down, and the great man is debased, and the eyes of the lofty are humbled, but LORD of hosts is exalted in justice, and God the Holy One is sanctified in righteousness. Then the lambs shall feed as in their pasture, and wanderers shall eat the waste places of the fat ones. Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, and sin as it were with a cart rope, who say, Let him make speed, let him hasten his work, that we may see it. And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, that we may know it! Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who put darkness for light, and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink, who justify the wicked for rewards, and take away the justice of the righteous man from him!

Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by injustice, who uses his neighbor's service without wages, and gives him not his hire, who says, I will build me a wide house and spacious chambers, and cuts out windows for himself, and it is overlaid with cedar, and painted with vermilion. Shall thou reign, because thou strive to excel in cedar? Did not thy father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him.read more.
He judged the cause of the poor and needy man, then it was well. Was not this to know me? says LORD. But thine eyes and thy heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for shedding innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it. Therefore thus says LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah. They shall not lament for him, [saying], Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! They shall not lament for him, [saying] Ah lord! or, Ah his glory! He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

Woe to those who devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand. And they covet fields, and seize them, and houses, and take them away. And they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. Therefore thus says LORD: Behold, I devise an evil against this family, from which ye shall not remove your necks, nor shall ye walk haughtily, for it is an evil time.

And I looked, and I heard one eagle flying in mid-heaven, saying in a great voice, Woe, woe, woe, to those who dwell on the earth from the remaining sounds of the trumpet of the three agents who are going to sound.

Rejoice because of this, O heavens, and ye who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has little time.

having stood from afar because of the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, the great city, Babylon, the mighty city! Because thy judgment has come in one hour.

Woe is me because of my hurt! My wound is grievous, but I said, Truly this is [my] grief, and I must bear it.

And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What is the meaning of the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of LORD came into the camp. And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God has come into the camp. And they said, Woe to us! For there has not been such a thing heretofore. Woe to us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods that smote the Egyptians with all manner of plagues in the wilderness.

Woe is me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar! My soul has long had her dwelling with him who hates peace. I am [for] peace, but when I speak, they are for war.

The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us! For we have sinned.

For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen, because their tongue and their doings are against LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory. The show of their countenance witnesses against them, and they declare their sin as Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have done evil to themselves.

Then I said, Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the King, LORD of hosts.

For if I preach the good-news, it is not a source of pride for me, for an obligation is laid upon me. And woe is to me if I do not preach the good-news.

The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these word in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, Thus says LORD, the God of Israel, to thee, O Baruch: Thou said, Woe is me now! For LORD has added sorrow to my pain. I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest.read more.
Thus thou shall say to him, Thus says LORD: Behold, that which I have built I will break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, and this in the whole land. And do thou seek great things for thyself? Seek them not, for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, says LORD, but thy life I will give to thee for a prey in all places where thou go.

However, woe to you the rich, because ye have received your consolation. Woe to you who are filled now, because ye will hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, because ye will mourn and weep. Woe when men will speak well of you, for their fathers did in the same way to the FALSE prophets.

Woe to you lawyers! Because ye took away the key of knowledge. Ye did not enter in yourselves, and ye hindered those who were entering in.

Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye close up the kingdom of the heavens ahead of men. For ye enter not in, nor do ye allow those who are entering to enter in. But woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye devour widows' houses, and praying long in pretence. Because of this ye will receive greater condemnation. Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye encompass the sea and the land to make one proselyte, and when it happens, ye make him twice more a son of hell than yourselves.read more.
Woe to you, ye blind guides, who say, Whoever may swear by the temple, it is nothing, but whoever may swear by the gold of the temple, he is obligated. Ye foolish and blind men, for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? And, Whoever may swear by the altar, it is nothing, but whoever may swear by the gift upon it, he is obligated. Ye foolish and blind men, for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by all things on it. And he who swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits upon it. Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye tithe the mint and the anise and the cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law--justice and mercy and faith. These things must be done, and not neglecting t Ye blind guides, who strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel. Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but inside they are full of plunder and unrighteousness. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, so that the outside of them may also become clean. Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. In this way also, ye indeed outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside ye are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the sepulchers of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. So then ye testify to yourselves that ye are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Then fill ye up the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how will ye escape from the damnation of hell?

But woe to you Pharisees! Because ye tithe mint and rue and every plant, and pass by justice and the love of God. It is necessary to do these things, and not to neglect those things. Woe to you Pharisees! Because ye love the place of honor in the synagogues, and the greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye are like the unseen sepulchers, and the men who walk over them do not know.read more.
And having answered, a certain man of the lawyers says to him, Teacher, in saying these things thou rebuke us also. And he said, Woe also to you lawyers! Because ye load men with burdens difficult to bear, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! Because ye build the sepulchers of the prophets, but your fathers killed them. Consequently, ye testify and approve the works of your fathers, because they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchers. Because of this also the wisdom of God said, I will send to them prophets and apostles. And some of them they will kill and persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets that was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I say to you, it will be required of this generation.

Woe to the world because of stumbling-blocks. For it is necessary that the stumbling-blocks come, yet woe to that man through whom the stumbling-block comes.

And he said to his disciples, It is impossible for the stumbling-blocks not to come, but woe to him through whom they come! It is better for him if a donkey-powered millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble. Take heed to yourselves. And if thy brother should sin against thee, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.

Woe to thee, Chorazin! Woe to thee, Bethsaida! Because if the mighty works were done in Tyre and Sidon, which were done in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment, than for you.

Then he began to upbraid the cities in which most of his mighty works occurred, because they did not repent. Woe to thee, Chorazin! Woe to thee, Bethsaida! Because if the mighty works that occurred in you occurred in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.

The Son of man indeed goes as it is written about him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! It were good for him if that man had not been born.

The Son of man indeed goes as it is written about him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! It was good for him if that man was not born.

And the Son of man indeed goes according to that which has been determined, nevertheless woe to that man through whom he is betrayed!

And woe to those who have in the womb and to those who suckle in those days. And pray ye that your flight may not happen in winter, nor on a Sabbath, for then there will be great tribulation, such as not has happened from the beginning of the world until now, nor, no, it will not happen.

But woe to those who have in the womb, and to those who suckle in those days. And pray ye that your flight may not be in winter. For those days will be tribulation, such as has not happened from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and no, will not happen.

But woe to those who have in the womb, and to those who suckle in those days. For there will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people.

Then I said, Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the King, LORD of hosts. Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said, Lo, this has touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin forgiven.

Ho Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add ye year to year. Let the feasts come round. Then I will distress Ariel, and there shall be mourning and lamentation, and she shall be to me as Ariel. And I will encamp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with posted troops. And I will raise siege works against thee.read more.
And thou shall be brought down, and shall speak out of the ground. And thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be as of he who has a familiar spirit, out of the ground. And thy speech shall whisper out of the d But the multitude of thy foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones as chaff that passes away. Yea, it shall be in an instant suddenly. She shall be visited by LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire. And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her stronghold, and that distress her, shall be as a dream, a vision of the night. And it shall be as when a hungry man dreams, and, behold, he eats. But he awakes, and his soul is empty. Or as when a thirsty man dreams, and, behold, he drinks. But he awakes, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul has appetite. S

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, says your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry to her, that her warfare has been completed, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received of LORD's hand double for all her sins.

Thus says LORD, the God of Israel, to thee, O Baruch: Thou said, Woe is me now! For LORD has added sorrow to my pain. I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest. Thus thou shall say to him, Thus says LORD: Behold, that which I have built I will break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, and this in the whole land.read more.
And do thou seek great things for thyself? Seek them not, for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, says LORD, but thy life I will give to thee for a prey in all places where thou go.

He has also broken my teeth with gravel stones. He has covered me with ashes. And thou have removed my soul far off from peace. I forgot prosperity. And I said, My strength is perished, and my expectation from LORD.read more.
Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul still has them in remembrance, and is bowed down within me. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope: [It is of] LORD's loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassions do not fail. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. LORD is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him. LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of LORD.