10 Bible Verses about Byword

For when anyone from the house of Israel, or the foreigner who lives in Israel, separates himself from me and erects his idols in his heart and sets the obstacle leading to his iniquity before his face, and then consults a prophet to seek something from me, I the Lord am determined to answer him personally. I will set my face against that person and will make him an object lesson and a byword and will cut him off from among my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

He has made me a byword to people, I am the one in whose face they spit.

"And now I have become their taunt song; I have become a byword among them.

You will become an occasion of horror, a proverb, and an object of ridicule to all the peoples to whom the Lord will drive you.

"But if you or your sons ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep, and decide to serve and worship other gods, then I will remove Israel from the land I have given them, I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence, and Israel will be mocked and ridiculed among all the nations. This temple will become a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by it will be shocked and will hiss out their scorn, saying, 'Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?'read more.
Others will then answer, 'Because they abandoned the Lord their God, who led their ancestors out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served. That is why the Lord has brought all this disaster down on them.'"

"But if you people ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep, and decide to serve and worship other gods, then I will remove you from my land I have given you, I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence, and I will make you an object of mockery and ridicule among all the nations. As for this temple, which was once majestic, everyone who passes by it will be shocked and say, 'Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?'read more.
Others will then answer, 'Because they abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors, who led them out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served. That is why he brought all this disaster down on them.'"

"I, the Lord, also solemnly assert: 'King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, and the people who remain in Jerusalem or who have gone to live in Egypt are like those bad figs. I consider them to be just like those bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. I will bring such disaster on them that all the kingdoms of the earth will be horrified. I will make them an object of reproach, a proverbial example of disaster. I will make them an object of ridicule, an example to be used in curses. That is how they will be remembered wherever I banish them. I will bring war, starvation, and disease on them until they are completely destroyed from the land I gave them and their ancestors.'"

The word of the Lord came to me: "Son of man, there were two women who were daughters of the same mother. They engaged in prostitution in Egypt; in their youth they engaged in prostitution. Their breasts were squeezed there; lovers fondled their virgin nipples there.read more.
Oholah was the name of the older and Oholibah the name of her younger sister. They became mine, and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem. "Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians -- warriors clothed in blue, governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. She bestowed her sexual favors on them; all of them were the choicest young men of Assyria. She defiled herself with all whom she desired -- with all their idols. She did not abandon the prostitution she had practiced in Egypt; for in her youth men had sex with her, fondled her virgin breasts, and ravished her. Therefore I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians for whom she lusted. They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. She became notorious among women, and they executed judgments against her.

Let the priests, those who serve the Lord, weep from the vestibule all the way back to the altar. Let them say, "Have pity, O Lord, on your people; please do not turn over your inheritance to be mocked, to become a proverb among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, "Where is their God?"

But you rejected and embarrassed us! You did not go into battle with our armies. You made us retreat from the enemy. Those who hate us take whatever they want from us. You handed us over like sheep to be eaten; you scattered us among the nations.read more.
You sold your people for a pittance; you did not ask a high price for them. You made us an object of disdain to our neighbors; those who live on our borders taunt and insult us. You made us an object of ridicule among the nations; foreigners treat us with contempt. All day long I feel humiliated and am overwhelmed with shame, before the vindictive enemy who ridicules and insults me. All this has happened to us, even though we have not rejected you or violated your covenant with us. We have not been unfaithful, nor have we disobeyed your commands. Yet you have battered us, leaving us a heap of ruins overrun by wild dogs; you have covered us with darkness. If we had rejected our God, and spread out our hands in prayer to another god, would not God discover it, for he knows one's thoughts? Yet because of you we are killed all day long; we are treated like sheep at the slaughtering block. Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Wake up! Do not reject us forever! Why do you look the other way, and ignore the way we are oppressed and mistreated? For we lie in the dirt, with our bellies pressed to the ground. Rise up and help us! Rescue us because of your loyal love!