12 Bible Verses about Craftiness

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, Yea, has God said, Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden?

they also worked shrewdly, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their donkeys, and wine-skins, old and torn and bound up,

So that we may no longer be childish, tossed about and carried about by every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men in craftiness with the methodology of error.

and they deliberated so that they might take Jesus by trickery, and kill him.

But having perceived their craftiness, he said to them, Why do ye try me?

And they send some of the Pharisees and of the Herodians to him, so that they might catch him in talk.

Then the Pharisees having departed, they took counsel how they might trap him in his talk. And they send out their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that thou are true, and teach the way of God in truth, and it is not a concern to thee about a man, for thou look not to the personage of men. Tell us therefore, what does it seem to thee? Is it permitted to give tribute to Caesar or not?

Teacher, Moses said, If some man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed to his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers. And the first having married perished. And having no seed left his wife to his brother. Likewise also the second, and the third, until the seventh. read more.
And last of all, the woman also died. In the resurrection therefore, which of the seven will she be wife? For they all had her.

And as they were relaxing and eating, Jesus said, Truly I say to you, that one of you eating with me will betray me. They began to be sorrowful, and to say to him one by one, Not I? and another, Not I? And having answered, he said to them, It is one of the twelve dipping with me in the dish. read more.
The Son of man indeed goes as it is written about him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! It was good for him if that man was not born. And as they were eating, Jesus having taken bread, having blessed, he broke in pieces, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. And after taking the cup, having expressed thanks, he gave to them, and they all drank from it.

And the chief priests and the scholars sought to throw hands on him in the same hour. And they were afraid, for they knew that he spoke this parable against them. And having watched him, they sent forth insidious men pretending themselves to be righteous, so that they might take hold of his word, in order to deliver him up to the rule and to the authority of the governor. And they questioned him, saying, Teacher, we know that thou speak and teach rightly, and thou do not accept a personage, but teach the way of God in truth, read more.
Is it permitted for us to give tribute to Caesar or not? But having perceived their craftiness, he said to them, Why do ye try me? Display to me a denarius. Whose image and inscription has it? And having answered, they said, Caesar's. And he said to them, Then render the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God. And they were unable to lay hold of his word before the people. And having marveled at his answer, they were silent.

But as for me, I would seek to God. And to God I would commit my cause, who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number, who gives rain upon the earth, and sends waters upon the fields, read more.
so that he sets up on high those who are low, and those who mourn are exalted to safety. He frustrates the devices of the crafty so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. He takes the wise in their own craftiness, and the counsel of the cunning is carried headlong.

Let not one man deceive himself. If any man among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become foolish so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, He who catches the wise in their craftiness,

Because of this (having this ministry), in as much as we received mercy, we do not become discouraged. But we have renounced the covert things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor misrepresenting the word of God, but by the disclosure of the truth, commending ourselves to every conscience of men before God.

and they deliberated so that they might take Jesus by trickery, and kill him.

Now after two days was the Passover and the unleavened bread. And the chief priests and the scholars sought how, having take him with trickery, they might kill him,

And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shall not give me anything. If thou will do this thing for me, I will again feed thy flock and keep it. I will pass through all thy flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted one, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats, and [of such] shall be my hire. So shall my righteousness answer for me after this, when thou shall come concerning my hire that is before thee. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, that [is] with me, shall be con read more.
And Laban said, Behold, O that it might be according to thy word. And he removed that day the he-goats that were ringstreaked and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of h And he set three days' journey between himself and Jacob. And Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks. And Jacob took for him rods of fresh poplar, and of the almond and of the plane tree, and peeled white streaks in them, and made the white which was in the rods appear. And he set the rods which he had peeled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. And they conceived when they came to drink. And the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth ringstreaked, speckled, and spotted. And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstreaked and all the black in the flock of Laban. And he put his own herds apart, and did not put them near Laban's flock. And it came to pass, whenever the stronger of the flock conceived, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods, but when the flock were weak, he did not put them in. So the weaker were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. And the man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maid-servants and men-servants, and camels and donkeys.

And Jacob said, First sell me thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am about to die, and what profit shall the birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me first. And he swore to him, and he sold his birthright to Jacob.

But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, they also worked shrewdly, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their donkeys, and wine-skins, old and torn and bound up, and old and patched shoes upon their feet, and old garments upon them, and all the bread of their provision was dry and became moldy. read more.
And they went to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him, and to the men of Israel, We have come from a far country, now therefore make ye a covenant with us. And the men of Israel said to the Hivites, Perhaps ye dwell among us, and how shall we make a covenant with you? And they said to Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said to them, Who are ye, and from where do ye come? And they said to him, From a very far country. Thy servants have come because of the name of 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 who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth. And our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, Take provision in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, We are your servants, and 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 go to you, but now, behold, it is dry, and has become moldy. And these wine-skins, which we filled, were new, and, behold, they are torn. And these our garments and our shoes have become old by reason of the very long journey. And the men took of their provision, and did not ask counsel at the mouth of LORD. And Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live, and the rulers of the congregation swore to them.

And Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak to Esau thy brother, saying, Bring venison for me, and make savory food for me, that I may eat, and bless thee before LORD before my death. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. read more.
Go now to the flock, and fetch me two good kids of the goats from there. And I will make them savory food for thy father, such as he loves. And thou shall bring it to thy father, that he may eat, so 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 will perhaps feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver. And I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing. And his mother said to him, Upon me be thy curse, my son. Only obey my voice, and go fetch them for me. And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother. And his mother made savory food, such as his father loved. And Rebekah took the goodly garments of Esau her elder son, 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 savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. And he came to his father, and said, My father. And he said, Here I am. Who are thou, my son? And Jacob said to his father, I am Esau thy firstborn. I have done according as thou bade me. Arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac said to his son, How is it that thou have found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because LORD thy God sent me good speed. And Isaac said to 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 to 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 did not discern him, because his hands were hairy as his brother Esau's hands. So he blessed him. And he said, Are 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 wine to him, and he drank. And his father Isaac said to him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. And he came near, and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that LORD has blessed. And God give thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and new wine. Let peoples serve thee, and nations bow down to thee. Be lord over thy brothers, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee. Cursed be he who curses thee, and blessed be he who blesses thee.

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, Yea, has God said, Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, Ye shall not eat of it, nor shall ye touch it, lest ye die. read more.
And the serpent said to 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.