57 Bible Verses about Bad Parents

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the discipline and admonition of the Lord.

He that cuts short chastening hates his son, but he that loves him chastens him early.

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Honour thy father and thy mother that thy days may be lengthened upon the land which the LORD thy God gives thee.

Think not that I have come to introduce peace into the land; I came not to introduce peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be those of his own household.read more.
He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. He that finds his life shall lose it, and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honour thy father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), that it may be well with thee, and thou may live long on the earth.

Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother should trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh.

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart, and thou shalt repeat them diligently unto thy sons and shalt talk of them being in thy house and walking by the way, lying down in bed, and rising up; and thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thy eyes;read more.
and thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house and on thy gates.

Fathers, provoke not your children lest they become disheartened.

For I know the thoughts that I think concerning you, said the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you the end that you wait for.

And it was so, when the days of their banquets were over, that Job sent and sanctified them and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and blasphemed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

Chasten thy son while there is hope, but do not stir up thy soul to destroy him.

For I know him, that he will command his sons and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and judgment, that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him.

Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; he shall give delight unto thy soul.

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.read more.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

For I have come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

Tell your sons of it, and let your sons tell their sons, and their sons another generation.

Like as a father has mercy upon his children, so the LORD has mercy upon those that fear him.

But I said unto their sons in the wilderness: Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, neither keep their laws, nor defile yourselves with their idols:

Do not withhold correction from the child; for if thou shall beat him with the rod, he shall not die.

My son, hearken unto the chastening of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God has commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God gives thee.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honour thy father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), that it may be well with thee, and thou may live long on the earth.read more.
And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the discipline and admonition of the Lord.

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife, and they shall be two in one flesh.

Honour thy father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise),

But whosoever shall cause one of these little ones who believe in me to fall, it would be better for him that a millstone such as is turned by an ass be hanged about his neck and that he be sunk in the depth of the sea.

And he lifted up his eyes and saw the women and the children and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children whom God hath graciously given thy slave.

Behold, sons are a heritage of the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is to be desired.

that they may teach the young women to be prudent, to love their husbands, to love their children,

He who lives, he who lives, even he shall confess thee, as I do this day; the father to the sons shall make known thy truth.

and that thou may tell in the ears of thy sons and of thy son's sons the things I did in Egypt and my signs which I gave among them and that ye may know that I am the LORD.

We will not hide them from their sons, showing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD and his strength and his wonderful works that he has done.

And he blessed Joseph and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long unto this day,

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning what they should become.

And in all the land no women were found as beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.

A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish son is sadness unto his mother.

And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

and besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lies at the point of death; come and lay thy hands on her that she may be saved, and she shall live.

Koph Her sons rose up and called her blessed; her husband also, and he praised her.

Gimel His seed shall be mighty upon earth; Daleth the generation of the upright shall be blessed.

No matter how many covenants he has made with death, the wicked shall not be absolved, but the seed of the righteous shall escape.

They shall not labour in vain, nor give birth with fear; for their births are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring shall be with them.

Thou shalt not bow down to them nor serve them; for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons unto the third and fourth generation of those that hate me

Thou shalt not be numbered with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land and slain thy people; the seed of evildoers shall not be forever.

Our fathers have sinned and are dead; and we have borne their chastisements.

but have walked after the imagination of their own heart and after the Baalim, which their fathers taught them,

Thus hath the LORD said: For three transgressions of Judah and for the fourth, I will not convert her because they have despised the law of the LORD and have not kept his statutes, and their lies caused them to err after which their fathers have walked:

My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For the LORD chastens whom he loves and delights in, even as a father to his son.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, exercise yourselves in these things.

When anyone has a stubborn and rebellious son, who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother and when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them, then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him and bring him out unto the elders of his city and unto the gate of his place; and they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not hear our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.read more.
Then all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, and he shall die; so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear and fear.

Happy shall he be, that takes and dashes thy offspring against the stones.

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husband, as unto the Lord.

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good for edification, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and they shall be two in one flesh.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be taken away from you, with all malice, and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God has forgiven you in Christ.