56 Bible Verses about Woe

Woe to the destroyer, and you who have not been destroyed; and betrayer, and they have not betrayed you. When you stop destroying, you shall be destroyed. When you stop betraying, they shall betray you.

So says Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, against Moab: Woe to Nebo, for it is ravaged! Kiriathaim is shamed and captured. The Fortress is shamed and razed. There shall be no more praise of Moab. In Heshbon they have plotted evil against it, saying, Come and let us cut it off from being a nation. Also you shall be silenced, O madmen; the sword shall pursue you.

Woe to the bloody city! It is a lie, and full of plunder; the prey is not withdrawn. The sound of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of a wheel, and of a galloping horse, and of a bounding chariot. The horseman lifts up both the bright sword and the lightning of the spear. And many are slain, and there are a mass of dead bodies, and no end of corpses; they stumble on their dead bodies,read more.
because of the many harlotries of the well-favored harlot, the mistress of sorceries who sells nations by her harlotries, and families by her sorceries. Behold, I am against you, says Jehovah of Hosts; and I will uncover your skirts upon your face. And I will cause the nations to see your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame. And I will cast filth upon you, and will dishonor you, and will set you as a gazing-stock. And it shall be that all those who look upon you shall flee from you, and say, Nineveh is laid waste; who will weep for her? From where shall I seek comforters for you?

Shall not all these lift up a parable against him, and a mocking riddle to him, and say, Woe to him who increases what is not his! Until when, then, shall he load the pledges on himself? Shall not those who strike you rise up suddenly, and those who shake you awake, and you become a prize to them? Because you have stripped many nations, all the rest of the people shall strip you; because of men's blood, and the violence of the land, of the city, and of all who dwell in it.read more.
Woe to him who robs evil booty for his house, to set his nest on high, to be delivered from the hand of evil! You have planned shame to your house, to make an end of many people, and are sinning in your 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 for Jehovah of Hosts that the people labor only for fire; yea, the nations weary themselves only for vanity? For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea. Woe to him who gives his neighbor drink, pouring out your wineskin, and also making him drunk, that you may look on their nakedness! You are filled with shame instead of glory; drink also, and be seen as one uncircumcised! The cup of Jehovah's right hand shall turn on you, and disgrace shall be your glory. For the violence of Lebanon shall cover you, and the ruin of beasts shall terrify them because of the blood of man, and the violence of the land, the city, and all those dwelling in it. What does an image profit, for its maker has carved it; a molten image, and a teacher of lies? For does the maker trust in his work on it, to make dumb idols? Woe to him who says to the wood. Awake! To a dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and no breath is in its midst. But Jehovah is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him.

Woe to the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! The Word of Jehovah is against you: Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will destroy you, so that no inhabitant survives.

Woe to them! For they have fled from Me. Ruin to them! Because they have sinned against Me. Though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against Me. And they have not cried to Me with their heart, when they howled on their beds; they gather themselves for grain and wine, and they rebel against Me. Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet they think evil against Me.read more.
They return, but not to the Most High. They are like a deceitful bow; their rulers shall fall by the sword from the rage of their tongue. This shall be their scorn in the land of Egypt.

Woe to the rebellious sons, says Jehovah, who make advice, but not of Me; and who cover with a covering, but not of My Spirit, that they add sin to sin; those who set out to go down to Egypt and have not asked at My mouth; to take refuge in the strength of Pharaoh and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!

Woe to him who fights with the One who formed him, a potsherd among the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to its former, What are you making? Or your work, He has no hands? Woe to him who says to his father, What are you fathering? Or to the woman, What are you laboring over?

Behold, he shall come up like clouds, and his chariots like a tempest. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are plundered! O Jerusalem, cleanse your heart from evil so that you may be saved. How long shall your vain thoughts lodge within you? For a voice declares from Dan, and proclaims affliction from mount Ephraim.read more.
Tell it to the nations: Behold! proclaim against Jerusalem! Besiegers are going to come from a distant land; and they will set their voice against the cities of Judah. Like watchmen of a field, they are against her all around; because she rebelled against Me, says Jehovah. Your way and your doings have brought these things on you; this is your evil, because it is bitter, because it reaches to your heart.

Woe, woe to you says the Lord Jehovah! For it happened after all your evil, that you have also built yourself a mound, and you have made yourself a high place in every street. You have built your high place at the head of every way, and have made your beauty to be despised, and have opened your feet to everyone who passed by, and have multiplied your fornications.read more.
You have also whored with the Egyptians, your neighbors great of flesh, and have multiplied your fornications to provoke Me to anger. And, behold, therefore I have stretched out My hand over you, and drew back your portion. And I gave you to the will of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your wicked way.

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture, says Jehovah. Therefore so says Jehovah, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who feed My people, You have scattered My flock, and have driven them away, and have not visited them. Behold, I will bring on you the evil of your doings, says Jehovah.

And the Word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy. And say to those who prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear the Word of Jehovah: So says the Lord Jehovah, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!read more.
O Israel, your prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. You have not gone up into the breaks, nor built the wall for the house of Israel, that it might stand in the battle in the day of Jehovah. They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, Jehovah says. And Jehovah has not sent them; but they hoped to confirm their word. Did you not see a vain vision, and speak a lying divination? Yet you say, Jehovah says; although I have not spoken? Therefore so says the Lord Jehovah: Because you have spoken vanity and seen a lie, therefore, behold, I am against you, says the Lord Jehovah. And My hand shall be against the prophets who see vanity and who divine a lie. They shall not be in the council of My people, nor shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord Jehovah.

And the Word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, So says the Lord Jehovah to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you kill the fat ones, but you do not feed the flock.read more.
You have not made the weak strong, nor have you healed the sick, nor have you bound up the broken. You have not brought again those driven away, nor have you sought that which was lost; but you have ruled them with force and with cruelty. And they were scattered for lack of a shepherd. And they became food to all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill. Yea, My flock was scattered on all the face of the earth, and none searched nor sought for them. Therefore, shepherds, hear the Word of Jehovah: As I live, says the Lord Jehovah, surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock, therefore, O shepherds, hear the Word of Jehovah. So says the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock. Nor shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouth, and they will not be food to devour.

Woe to her rebelling and becoming defiled, to the oppressing city! She did not obey the voice; she did not receive correction. She trusted not in Jehovah; she did not draw near to her God. Her rulers within her are roaring lions; her judges evening wolves. They do not gnaw bones for the morning.read more.
Her prophets are proud, men of deceit; her priests have defiled the sanctuary; they have done violence to the Law.

And Jehovah said to me, Take to yourself yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. For lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those going to ruin, nor will he seek the young, nor will heal that which is broken, nor will he feed that which stands. But he shall eat the flesh of the fat and tear off their hoofs. Woe to the worthless shepherd who abandons the flock! The sword shall be on his arm and on his right eye; his arm shall be completely dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.

Woe to those at ease in Zion, and those trusting in the mountain of Samaria, who are noted as leader of the nations. And the house of Israel came to them. Pass to Calneh, and see; and from there go to Hamath the great. Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms, or their border greater than your border? You who put the evil day far away, and cause the seat of violence to come near;read more.
who lie on beds of ivory, and those sprawling on their couches, and eat lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; who chant with the mouth of the harp; they invent instruments of music for themselves, like David; who drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the best of oils; nor do they grieve for the breaking of Joseph! So now they shall go into exile with the first of the exiles. And the feast of those who stretch themselves shall cease.

Woe to those desiring the day of Jehovah! What is this for you? The day of Jehovah 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 snake bit him. Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it?read more.
I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not delight in your solemn assemblies. Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your food offerings, I will not be pleased. Nor will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals. Take the noise of your songs away from Me; for I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. But let judgment roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, and to the scribes who write toil; to turn aside the needy from judgment, and to steal the right from the poor of My people, that widows may be their prey, and they rob the orphans! And what will you do in the day of judgment and in destruction, of ruin when it comes from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your glory?read more.
Surely they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. In all this His hand is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.

Woe to those who join house to house, laying field to field, until the end of space, and you are made to dwell alone in the middle of the land! Jehovah of Hosts swore in my ears, Truly many houses shall be deserted, big and fair, without inhabitant. Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of a homer shall yield an ephah.read more.
Woe to those who rise up early in the morning to go after strong drink; tarrying in the twilight while wine inflames them! And the lyre, and the harp, the timbrel, and pipe, and wine, are at their feasts; but they do not regard the work of Jehovah. Yea, they do not see the work of His hands. For this My people go into exile without knowledge, and their honorable men into famine, and his multitude is dried up with thirst. So hell has enlarged itself, and opened its mouth without measure; and their glory, and their multitude, and their pride, and he who rejoices in her, shall go down into it. And man is bowed down, and man is humbled and the eyes of the lofty are humbled. But Jehovah of Hosts is exalted in judgment, and God the Holy One is sanctified in righteousness. Then shall the lambs feed in their way, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat. Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin with cart ropes; who say, Let Him hurry and hasten His work, so that we may see it; and let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, so that we may know! 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 wise in their own eyes, and bright in their own sight! Woe to those mighty to drink wine, and brave men to mix strong drink; who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness and his upper rooms without justice; his neighbor serves without pay, and he does not give him for his work; who says, I will build myself a wide house and large rooms, and cuts out windows for himself, and puts in a cedar ceiling, and paints it with vermilion. Do you reign, because you lust to excel in cedar? Did not your 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; then it was well with him. Was this not to know Me? says Jehovah. But your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your unjust gain, and to shed innocent blood, and for cruelty, and to do violence. Therefore so says Jehovah concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, They shall not mourn for him, saying, Ah, my brother! or, Ah, sister! They shall not mourn for him, saying, Ah, lord! or, Ah, his glory! He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

Woe to those who plot wickedness and prepare evil on their beds! When the morning is light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand. And they covet and seize fields; and houses, and take them away. And they oppress a man and his household, even a man and his inheritance. So Jehovah says this: Behold, against this family I am plotting an evil from which you shall not remove your necks; nor shall you go proudly, but it is an evil time.

And I saw and I heard one angel flying in mid-heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, from the rest of the voices of the trumpet of the three angels being about to sound!

Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and those tabernacling in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and in the sea! For the Devil came down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a little time.

standing afar off for fear of her torment, saying, Woe! Woe to the great city, Babylon, that strong city! For in one hour your judgment came.

Woe to me for my breaking! My wound is grievous; but I said, Truly this is a malady, and I must bear it.

And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What is the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they saw that the ark of Jehovah had come 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 a thing like this before. Woe to us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods that struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.

Woe is me, that I live in Mesech; I dwell in the tents of Kedar! My soul has long dwelt with a hater of peace. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.

Behold, he shall come up like clouds, and his chariots like a tempest. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are plundered!

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

For Jerusalem is ruined and Judah has fallen; because their tongue and their doings are against Jehovah, to provoke the eyes of His glory. The look of their faces witnesses against them; and they declare their sin like Sodom. They do not hide it! Woe to their soul! For they have rewarded evil to themselves.

Then I said, Woe is me! For I am undone; for 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, Jehovah of Hosts.

For though I preach the gospel, no glory is to me. For necessity is laid on me; yea, woe is to me if I do not preach the gospel!

The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, So says Jehovah, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: You said, Woe is me now, for Jehovah has added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.read more.
So you shall say to him, Jehovah says this: Behold, what I have built I will break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even all the land itself to Me. And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring evil on all flesh, says Jehovah. But I will give your life to you as a prize, in all places where you go.

But woe to you who are rich! For you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full! For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now! For you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men shall speak well of you! For so their fathers did to the false prophets.

Woe to you, lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and you have hindered those who were entering in.

But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of Heaven against men. For you neither go in, nor do you allow those entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and pray at length as a pretense. Therefore you shall receive the greater condemnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you compass sea and the dry land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.read more.
Woe to you, blind guides, saying, Whoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor. Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold? And, Whoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is a debtor! Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Therefore whoever shall swear by the altar swears by it, and by all things on it. And whoever shall swear by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. And he who shall swear by Heaven swears by the throne of God, and by Him who sits on it. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and you have left undone the weightier matters of the Law, judgment, mercy, and faith. You ought to have done these and not to leave the other undone. Blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of extortion and excess. Blind Pharisee! First cleanse the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outside, but inside they are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so you also appear righteous to men outwardly, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets, and decorate the tombs 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. Therefore you are witnesses to yourselves, that you are the sons of those who killed the prophets; and you fill up the measure of your fathers. Serpents! Offspring of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?

But woe to you, Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and pass over judgment and the love of God. You ought to have done these, and not to leave the other undone. Woe to you, Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and greetings in the markets. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like unseen tombs and the men walking above are not aware of them.read more.
And one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, Master, you reproach us also when you say this. And He said, Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens grievous to be carried, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. Truly you bear witness that you consent to the deeds of your fathers. For they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore the wisdom of God also said, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the temple. Truly I say to you, It shall be required of this generation.

Woe to the world because of offenses! For it is necessary that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!

And He said to the disciples, It is impossible but that offenses will come. But woe to him through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves. If your brother trespasses against you, rebuke him. And if he repents, forgive him.

Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which have been done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented a long while ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the Judgment than for you.

Then He began to upbraid the cities in which most of His mighty works were done, because they did not repent. Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the powerful acts which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes! But I say to you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.

The Son of Man goes, as it has been written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.

The Son of Man indeed goes, as it has been written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It were good for that man if he had never been born.

And truly the Son of Man goes, as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!

And woe to those who are with child, and to those who give suck in those days! But pray that your flight is not in the winter, nor on the sabbath day; for then shall be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world to this time; no, nor ever shall be.

But woe to those with babe in womb, and to those who give suck in those days! And pray that your flight is not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as has not been from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never shall be.

But woe to those who are with child, and to those suckling in those days! For there shall be great distress in the land and wrath on this people.

Then I said, Woe is me! For I am undone; for 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, Jehovah of Hosts. Then one of the seraphs flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, snatched with tongs from the altar. And he laid it on my mouth and said, Lo, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.

Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! Add year to year; let them kill their sacrifices. Then I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow; and it shall be to me as Ariel. And I will camp against you all around, and will lay siege against you with a mount, and I will raise forts against you.read more.
And you shall be brought down; you shall speak out of the ground, and your speech shall be low out of the dust, and your voice shall be like a spiritist, out of the ground, and your speech shall whisper out of the dust. And the multitude of your strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passes away; yea, it shall be at an instant, suddenly. You shall be visited by Jehovah of Hosts with thunder, and with earthquake and great noise, with storm and whirlwind, and the flame of devouring fire. And the multitude of all the nations who fight against Ariel, even all who fight against her and her stronghold, and who distress her, shall be like a dream of a night vision. It shall even be as when a hungry one dreams, and behold, he eats, but he wakes 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 is longing. So shall it be with the multitude of all the nations who fight against mount Zion.

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak lovingly to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is done, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins.

So says Jehovah, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: You said, Woe is me now, for Jehovah has added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest. So you shall say to him, Jehovah says this: Behold, what I have built I will break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even all the land itself to Me.read more.
And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring evil on all flesh, says Jehovah. But I will give your life to you as a prize, in all places where you go.

He also broke my teeth with gravel; He has covered me in the ashes. And You cast off my soul from peace; I have forgotten blessedness. And I said, My strength and my hope from Jehovah are gone.read more.
Remember my affliction and my wandering, as wormwood and bitterness. My soul vividly remembers and bows down on me. I recall this to my mind; therefore I hope. It is by Jehovah's kindnesses that we are not destroyed, because His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Jehovah is my portion, says my soul; therefore I will hope in Him. Jehovah is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope for the salvation of Jehovah, even in silence.