8 Bible Verses about Ambition, Example Of

And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said unto them, We have had enough of you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them; why then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD? And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face; and he spoke unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Tomorrow the LORD will show who are his and who is holy and will cause the one who is holy to come near unto him; the one whom he has chosen he will cause to come near unto him.read more.
Do this: Take censers, Korah, and all his company, and put fire in them and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow; and it shall be that the man whom the LORD chooses, he shall be holy; this shall be enough for you, ye sons of Levi. And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi: Does it seem but a small thing unto you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to minister in the service of the tabernacle of the LORD and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them? And that he has brought thee near to him and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee, and ye seek the priesthood also? For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD, for what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him? And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they replied, We will not come up. Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that flowed with milk and honey to make us die in the wilderness, but thou must also make thyself lord to rule over us? Moreover, thou hast not brought us into a land that flows with milk and honey or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards; wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up. Then Moses was very angry and said unto the LORD, Look not thou upon their offering; I have not taken so much as one ass from them, neither have I done evil to any of them. And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the LORD, thou and they and Aaron, tomorrow; and let each man take his censer and put incense in them and let each man bring his censer before the LORD, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also and Aaron, each of you with his censer. And each man took his censer and put fire in them and laid incense in them and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the testimony with Moses and Aaron. And Korah had gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the testimony; then the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation. And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, Separate yourselves from among this congregation, and I will consume them in a moment. And they fell upon their faces and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation? Then the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the congregation, saying, Separate yourselves now from the tent of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. And he spoke unto the congregation, saying, Depart from the tents of these wicked men and touch nothing of theirs lest peradventure ye be consumed in all their sins. So they removed themselves from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side; and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, with their wives and their sons and their little children. And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them out of my own heart. If these men die the common death of all men or if they are visited after the visitation of all men, then the LORD has not sent me. But if the LORD does a new thing and the earth opens her mouth and swallows them up with all their things and they go down alive into Sheol, then ye shall know that these men have provoked the LORD. And it came to pass as he had made an end of speaking all these words that the ground broke open under them; the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and their houses and all the men of Korah and all their goods. They and all that they had went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the congregation. And all Israel, those that were round about them, fled at the cry of them, for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also. And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.

And Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal, went to Shechem unto his mother's brethren and spoke with them and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying, Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, What would seem better unto you, that seventy persons reign over you, all the sons of Jerubbaal; or that one reign over you? Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh. And his mother's brethren spoke for him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words, and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, He is our brother.read more.
And they gave him seventy shekels of silver out of the house of Baalberith, with which Abimelech hired vain and light men who followed him. And coming unto his father's house at Ophrah, he slew his brethren, the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy persons, upon a stone; yet Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, was left, for he hid himself. And all the men of Shechem gathered together with all the house of Millo and went and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.

And it came to pass after this that Absalom prepared himself chariots and horses and fifty men to run before him. And Absalom rose up early and stood beside the way of the gate; and when anyone that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto them and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy slave is of one of the tribes of Israel. And Absalom would say unto them, See, thy matters are good and just; but there is no one delegated by the king to hear thee.read more.
And Absalom would say, Oh, that I were made judge in the land, that everyone who has any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice! And it was so, that when anyone came near unto him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand and took him and kissed him. And Absalom did according to this manner with all Israel that came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole the hearts of those of Israel. And at the end of a predetermined period of forty years, it came to pass that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go to Hebron and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the LORD. For thy slave vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying, If the LORD shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the LORD. And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose and went to Hebron. But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the shofar, then ye shall say, Absalom reigns in Hebron. And two hundred men of Jerusalem went with Absalom, that were invited by him, and they went in their integrity, without knowing anything. Absalom also sent for Ahithophel, the Gilonite, of David's counsel, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom. And the word came to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.

Then Haman went forth that day joyful and with a glad heart, but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate and that he did not stand up nor move for him, he was filled with indignation against Mordecai. Nevertheless, Haman refrained himself, and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends and Zeresh, his wife. And Haman told them of the glory of his riches and the multitude of his sons and all the things in which the king had promoted him and how he had advanced him above the princes and slaves of the king.read more.
Haman said, moreover, Even Esther, the queen, let no one come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared but myself, and tomorrow I am also invited by her with the king. Yet all this avails me nothing so long as I see Mordecai, the Jew, sitting at the king's gate. Then said Zeresh, his wife, and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made fifty cubits high, and tomorrow speak unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged upon it; then go in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman, and he caused the gallows to be made.

Nebuchadnezzar the king made a statue of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits; he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the great ones, the assistants and captains, the judges, the treasurers, those of the council, presidents, and all the governors of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the statue which Nebuchadnezzar the king had raised up. Then the great ones, the assistants and captains, the judges, the treasurers, those of the council, presidents, and all the governors of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had raised up; and they stood before the statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had raised up.read more.
Then a herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, that when ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and of every musical instrument, ye are to fall down and worship the statue of gold that Nebuchadnezzar the king has raised up: and whoever does not fall down and worship shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Therefore, when all the peoples heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and every musical instrument, all the peoples, nations, and languages, fell down and worshipped the statue of gold that Nebuchadnezzar the king had raised up.

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou should do for us whatever we shall ask. And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one at thy right hand and the other at thy left hand in thy glory.

Let no one deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition,