12 Bible Verses about Craftiness

Now the serpent was more astute than all the animals of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Has God indeed said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

they worked with prudence and went and made as if they had been ambassadors and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old and rent and bound up,

That we no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive,

and took counsel that they might take Jesus by guile and kill him.

But he, perceiving their craftiness, said unto them, Why tempt ye me?

And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians to catch him in his words.

Then the Pharisees left and took counsel how they might entangle him in his word. And they sent out unto him their disciples with those of Herod, saying, Master, we know that thou art a lover of truth and teachest the way of God with truth and that thou takest care for no man, for thou art no respecter of persons of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar or not?

saying, Master, Moses said, If a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers, and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no seed, left his wife unto his brother; likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. read more.
And last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.

And when they sat at the table and ate, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you who eats with me shall betray me. And they began to be sorrowful and to say unto him one by one, shall it be I? and another said, shall it be I? And he, answering, said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dips with me in the dish. read more.
The Son of man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and, blessing it, broke it and gave to them and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And taking the cup, having given thanks, he gave it to them; and they all drank of it.

And the princes of the priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him, for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them; but they feared the people. And they watched him and sent forth spies who feigned themselves just men that they might take hold of him as he was speaking, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither dost thou accept the person of any, but teachest the way of God with truth; read more.
Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar or no? But he, perceiving their craftiness, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have? They answered and said, Caesar's. And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things which are God's. And they could not take hold of his words before the people, and they marvelled at his answer and were silent.

I would certainly seek God, and unto God would I commit my affairs; who does great things that no one can understand, and marvels that have no explanation; who gives rain upon the earth and sends waters abroad; read more.
who sets up the humble on high, that those who mourn may be lifted up with saving health. He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. He takes the wise in their own prudence, and the counsel of his adversaries is turned to folly.

Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you seems to be wise in this age, let them become a fool that they may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He takes the wise in their own craftiness.

Therefore seeing we have this ministry, according to the mercy we have received, we fault not, but remove from ourselves every hidden shameful thing, not walking in craftiness, nor adulterating the word of God, but in the manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

and took counsel that they might take Jesus by guile and kill him.

Two days after was the passover and the days of unleavened bread; and the princes of the priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, that they might kill him.

And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me anything; if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock. I will pass through all thy flock today, setting apart all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown rams among the rams, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and of such shall be my hire. So shall my righteousness answer for me tomorrow, when my hire shall come before thy face; each one that is not speckled and spotted among my goats and brown among my sheep shall be counted stolen with me. read more.
And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word. And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep and gave them into the hand of his sons. And he set three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks. And Jacob took rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut tree and peeled white strakes in them and made the white appear which was in the rods. And he set the rods which he had peeled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink that they should conceive when they came to drink. And the flocks conceived before the rods and brought forth ringstraked, speckled, and spotted sheep. And Jacob separated the lambs, and put with his flock the ringstraked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves and did not put them together with Laban's sheep. And it came to pass, whenever the stronger sheep conceived, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the sheep in the gutters that they might conceive among the rods. But when the sheep were feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. And the man increased exceedingly, and had many sheep, and maidslaves and menslaves, and camels, and asses.

And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die; and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he swore unto him and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, they worked with prudence and went and made as if they had been ambassadors and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old and rent and bound up, and old patched shoes upon their feet, and old garments upon them, and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy. read more.
Thus they came unto Joshua to the camp at Gilgal and said unto him and to the men of Israel, We are come from a far country; now, therefore, make ye a covenant with us. And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us, and how shall we make a covenant with you? And they said unto Joshua, We are thy slaves. And Joshua said unto them, Who are you and where do you come from? And they said unto him, From very far lands thy slaves are come because of the name of the LORD thy God, for we have heard the fame of him and all that he did in Egypt and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side of the Jordan, and to Sihon, king of Heshbon, and to Og, king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth. Therefore, our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, Take provision with you for the journey and go to meet them and say unto them, We are your slaves; therefore, now make ye a covenant with us. This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to come unto you, but now, behold, it is dry and mouldy. These bottles of wine, we also filled new, and, behold, they are rent, and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. And the men of Israel took of their provision and did not ask counsel at the mouth of the LORD. And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; also the princes of the congregation swore unto them.

Then Rebekah spoke unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau, thy brother, saying, Bring me venison and make me savoury food that I may eat and bless thee before the LORD before my death. Now, therefore, my son, hearken unto my voice according to that which I command thee. read more.
Go now to the flock and bring me from there two good kids of the goats, and I will make them savoury food for thy father, such as he loves; and thou shalt bring it to thy father that he may eat and that he may bless thee before his death. And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau, my brother, is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man; my father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon myself, and not a blessing. And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son; only obey my voice and go bring me them. And he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savoury food, such as his father loved. And Rebekah took good clothes of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob, her younger son: And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands and upon the smooth of his neck, and she gave the savoury food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. And he came unto his father and said, My father, and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son? And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau, thy firstborn; I have done according as thou didst command me; arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. Then Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me. And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not. And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. And he discerned him not because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him. And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now and kiss me, my son. And he came near and kissed him, and he smelled the smell of his clothing and blessed him and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed. Therefore let God give thee of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of wheat and new wine. Let the peoples serve thee and nations bow down to thee; be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee; cursed be every one that curses thee, and blessed be he that blesses thee.

Now the serpent was more astute than all the animals of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Has God indeed said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman answered unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, Ye shall not eat of it; neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. read more.
Then the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God knows that in the day ye eat of it then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.