41 Bible Verses about Choices

"I have loved you," says Yahweh, but you say, "How have you loved us?" "[Is] Esau not Jacob's brother?" {declares} Yahweh. "I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated. I have made his mountain ranges a desolation, and [given] his inheritance to the jackals of [the] desert."

And not only [this], but also [when] Rebecca conceived children by one [man], Isaac our father-- for [although they] had not yet been born, or done anything good or evil, in order that the purpose of God according to election might remain, not by works but by the one who calls--it was said to her, "The older will serve the younger,"read more.
just as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." What then shall we say? [There is] no injustice with God, [is there]? May it never be! For to Moses he says, "I will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I have compassion."

And he said, "I myself will cause all my goodness to pass over before you, and I will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you, and I will be gracious [to] whom I will be gracious, and I will show compassion [to] whom I will show compassion."

But the foolish [things] of the world God chose in order that he might put to shame the wise, and the weak [things] of the world God chose in order that he might put to shame the strong, and the insignificant of the world, and the despised, God chose, the things that are not, in order that he might abolish the things that are,

Listen, my dear brothers! Did not God choose the poor of the world [to be] rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?

For you [are] a holy people for Yahweh your God; Yahweh your God has chosen you to be for him a people, a treasured possession from [among] all the peoples that [are] on the face of the earth.

'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and [how] I bore you on eagles' wings and I brought you to me. And now if you will carefully listen to my voice and keep my covenant, you will be a treasured possession for me out of all the peoples, {for all the earth is mine}, but you, you will [belong] to me [as] a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you will speak to the {Israelites}."

For you [are] a people holy to Yahweh your God, and you Yahweh has chosen to be a treasured possession from [among] all [of] the peoples that are on the surface of the earth.

Blessed [is one whom] you choose and bring near, [that] he may abide in your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.

But Yahweh will have compassion on Jacob, and he will again choose Israel and set them on their land, and the immigrant will join himself to them, and they will attach themselves to the house of Jacob.

you whom I grasped from the ends of the earth and called from its remotest parts and told, "You [are] my servant; I have chosen you and I have not rejected you."

"Return, apostate children," {declares} Yahweh. "For {I am your master}, and I will take you one from a city and two from a clan, and I will bring you [to] Zion.

just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, [that] we should be holy and blameless before him in love,

And we know that all [things] work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to [his] purpose, because [those] whom he foreknew, he also predestined [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, so that he should be the firstborn among many brothers. And [those] whom he predestined, these [he] also called, and [those] whom he called, these [he] also justified, and [those] whom he justified, these [he] also glorified.read more.
What then shall we say about these [things]? If God [is] for us, who [can be] against us? Indeed, [he] who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, together with him, freely give us all [things]? Who will bring charges against God's elect? God [is] the one who justifies.

But you [are] a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God's] possession, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light,

And now come, and I will send you to Pharaoh, and [you must] bring my people, the {Israelites}, out from Egypt."

When Samuel saw Saul, Yahweh answered him, "Here [is] the man about whom I told you! This [is the] one [who] will govern my people."

Then Yahweh said to Samuel, "{How long} will you mourn about Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel! Fill up your horn [with] oil and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have chosen a king for myself among his sons." But Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears, he will kill me." Yahweh said, "You must take a heifer from the herd {with you}, and you must say, 'I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh.' You will invite Jesse to the sacrifice and I will make known to you what you must do. You will anoint for me [the one] whom I tell you."read more.
So Samuel did what Yahweh said. He came to Bethlehem, and the elders of the city came trembling to meet him. They said, "{Have you come in peace}?" He said, "[I come in] peace. I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh. Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." So he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. {When they came}, he saw Eliab and said, "Surely his anointed one [is] before Yahweh!" But Yahweh said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For [God does] not [see] what man sees, for a man {looks on the outward appearance}, but Yahweh {looks on the heart}." Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel, and he said, "This one also Yahweh has not chosen." So Jesse made Shammah pass [before Samuel], but he said, "Yahweh also has not chosen this one." And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, "Yahweh has not chosen any of these." Then Samuel said to Jesse, "{Are all the young men here}?" And he said, "The youngest still remains, but look, he [is] shepherding the flock." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him, for we cannot {sit down} until he comes here." So he sent and brought him. Now he [was] ruddy with beautiful eyes and of {handsome} appearance. And Yahweh said, "Arise, anoint him, for this [is] he." So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. Then the Spirit of Yahweh rushed upon David from that day {on}. Then Samuel got up and went to Ramah.

And the word of Yahweh came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth [day] of the month saying, "Say to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah: I [am] going to shake the heavens and the earth, and I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the military strength of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, every one by the sword of another!read more.
'On that day,' {declares} Yahweh of hosts, 'I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant,' {declares} Yahweh, 'and I will make you a signet ring, for I have chosen you,' {declares} Yahweh of hosts."

And he went up on the mountain and summoned [those] whom he wanted, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, so that they would be with him and so that he could send them out to preach and to have authority to expel demons.read more.
And he appointed the twelve. And to Simon he gave the name Peter, and James the [son] of Zebedee and John the brother of James (and he gave to them the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"), and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the [son] of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

And when day came, he summoned his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he also named apostles: Simon (whom he also named Peter) and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the [son] of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot,read more.
and Judas [the son] of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Now there was a certain disciple in Damascus {named} Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias!" And he said, "Behold, [here] I [am], Lord!" And the Lord [said] to him, "Get up, go to the street called 'Straight' and in the house of Judas look for {a man named Saul from Tarsus}. For behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man {named} Ananias coming in and placing hands on him so that he may regain [his] sight."read more.
But Ananias replied, "Lord, I have heard from many [people] about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, and here he has authority from the chief priests to tie up all who call upon your name!" But the Lord said to him, "Go, because this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel.

But when the one who set me apart from my mother's womb and called [me] by his grace was pleased to reveal his Son in me in order that I would proclaim the gospel [about] him among the Gentiles, immediately I did not consult with flesh and blood,

{But only} to the place that Yahweh your God will choose from all [of] your tribes to place his name there as his dwelling shall you seek, and there you shall go.

{and then} [at] the place that Yahweh your God will choose, to let his name dwell there, there you shall bring all [the things] I [am] commanding you, your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and {your donations}, and all [of] the choice [things], your votive gifts that you vow to Yahweh.

And you shall eat {before} Yahweh your God in the place that he will choose to make to dwell his name there the tithe of your grain, your wine and your olive oil and the firstling of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to revere Yahweh your God {always}.

And you shall offer the Passover sacrifice to Yahweh your God [from among] [your] flock and herd at the place that Yahweh will choose, to let his name dwell there.

then you shall take from the firstfruit of all the fruit of the ground that you harvest from your land that Yahweh your God [is] giving to you, and you shall put [it] in a basket, and you shall go to the place that Yahweh your God will choose to make his name to dwell there.

{when all Israel comes to appear before} Yahweh their God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel {in their hearing}.

But if it is bad in your eyes to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves today whom you want to serve, whether it is the gods that your ancestors served beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you [are] living; but as for me and my household, we will serve Yahweh."

Getting wisdom: {how much} better than gold! And getting understanding: it is chosen {over} silver.

And Moses stood at the entrance of the camp, and he said, "Whoever [is] for Yahweh, to me." And all the sons of Levi were gathered to him.

I invoke as a witness against you {today} the heaven and the earth: life and death I have set {before you}, blessing and curse. So choose life, so that you may live, you and your offspring,

Elijah approached to all the people and said, "How long [will] you [go] limping over two opinions? If Yahweh [is] God, go after him; but if Baal, go after him." But the people did not answer him a word.

Do not envy a man of violence, and do not choose any of his ways,

Take my teaching and not silver; may you choose knowledge rather than choice gold.

If anyone wants to do his will, he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or I am speaking from myself.

Adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes [himself] an enemy of God.

then they will call me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but not find me. Since they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of Yahweh, they were not willing [to accept] my counsel, they despised all my reproof.read more.
They shall eat from the fruit of their way, and they shall be sated from their own schemes, for the waywardness of the simple ones will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. Whoever listens to me will dwell in security and rest securely from dread and disaster."

and I will remit you to the sword, and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter, because I called, but you did not answer; I spoke, but you did not listen, but you did the evil in my eyes, and you chose that in which I do not delight."

The one who slaughters bull strikes a man; the one who slaughters lamb for sacrifice breaks the neck [of] a dog. The one who offers an offering, [the] blood of swine; the one who offers frankincense blesses an idol. Indeed, they themselves have chosen their ways, and their soul delights in their abhorrence. Indeed, I myself I will choose their ill treatment, and I will bring them objects of their dread, because I called, and {no one answered}; I spoke and they did not listen, but they did the evil in my eyes, and they chose that in which I do not delight."