12 Bible Verses about Craftiness

And the serpent was more crafty than any animal of the field which Jehovah Elohim had made. And it said to the woman, Is it even so, that God has said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

then they also acted with craft, and they went prepared as on a journey, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine-flasks, old and rent and tied up;

in order that we may be no longer babes, tossed and carried about by every wind of that teaching which is in the sleight of men, in unprincipled cunning with a view to systematized error;

and took counsel together in order that they might seize Jesus by subtlety and kill him;

But perceiving their deceit he said to them, Why do ye tempt me?

And they send to him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, that they might catch him in speaking.

Then went the Pharisees and held a council how they might ensnare him in speaking. And they send out to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that thou art true and teachest the way of God in truth, and carest not for any one, for thou regardest not men's person; tell us therefore what thou thinkest: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?

saying, Teacher, Moses said, If any one die, not having children, his brother shall marry his wife and shall raise up seed to his brother. Now there were with us seven brethren; and the first having married died, and not having seed, left his wife to his brother. In like manner also the second and the third, unto the seven. read more.
And last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection therefore of which of the seven shall she be wife, for all had her?

And as they lay at table and were eating, Jesus said, Verily I say to you, One of you shall deliver me up; he who is eating with me. And they began to be grieved, and to say to him, one by one, Is it I? and another, Is it I? But he answered and said to them, One of the twelve, he who dips with me in the dish. read more.
The Son of man goes indeed as it is written concerning him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is delivered up; it were good for that man if he had not been born. And as they were eating, Jesus, having taken bread, when he had blessed, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, Take this: this is my body. And having taken the cup, when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank out of it.

And the chief priests and the scribes sought the same hour to lay hands on him, and they feared the people; for they knew that he had spoken this parable of them. And having watched him, they sent out suborned persons, pretending to be just men, that they might take hold of him in his language, so that they might deliver him up to the power and authority of the governor. And they asked him saying, Teacher, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, and acceptest no man's person, but teachest with truth the way of God: read more.
Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not? But perceiving their deceit he said to them, Why do ye tempt me? Shew me a denarius. Whose image and superscription has it? And answering they said, Caesar's. And he said to them, Pay therefore what is Caesar's to Caesar, and what is God's to God. And they were not able to take hold of him in his expressions before the people, and, wondering at his answer, they were silent.

But as for me I will seek unto God, and unto God commit my cause; Who doeth great things and unsearchable, marvellous things without number; Who giveth rain on the face of the earth, and sendeth waters on the face of the fields; read more.
Setting up on high those that are low; and mourners are exalted to prosperity. He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, and their hands carry not out the enterprise. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness; and the counsel of the wily is carried headlong:

Let no one deceive himself: if any one thinks himself to be wise among you in this world, let him become foolish, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God; for it is written, He who takes the wise in their craftiness.

Therefore, having this ministry, as we have had mercy shewn us, we faint not. But we have rejected the hidden things of shame, not walking in deceit, nor falsifying the word of God, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every conscience of men before God.

and took counsel together in order that they might seize Jesus by subtlety and kill him;

Now the passover and the feast of unleavened bread was after two days. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might seize him by subtlety and kill him.

And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me anything. If thou doest this for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock: I will pass through all thy flock to-day, to remove thence all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and that shall be my hire. And my righteousness shall answer for me hereafter, when thou comest about my hire, before thy face: all that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, let that be stolen with me. read more.
And Laban said, Well, let it 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, every one that had white in it, and all the brown among the lambs, and gave them into the hand of his sons. And he put three days' journey between himself and Jacob. And Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flock. And Jacob took fresh rods of white poplar, almond-tree, and maple; and peeled off white stripes in them, uncovering the white which was on the rods. And he set the rods which he had peeled before the flock, in the troughs at the watering-places where the flock came to drink, and they were ardent when they came to drink. And the flock was ardent before the rods; and the flock brought forth ringstraked, speckled, and spotted. And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flock toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he made himself separate flocks, and did not put them with Laban's flock. And it came to pass whensoever the strong cattle were ardent, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, that they might become ardent among the rods; but when the sheep were feeble, he put them not in; so the feeble were Laban's, and the strong Jacob's. And the man increased very, very much, and had much cattle, and bondwomen, and bondmen, and camels, and asses.

And Jacob said, Sell me now thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am going to die, and of what use can the birthright be to me? And Jacob said, Swear unto me now. And he swore unto him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.

And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, then they also acted with craft, and they went prepared as on a journey, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine-flasks, old and rent and tied up; and old and patched sandals upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy. read more.
And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said to him, and to the men of Israel, From a far country are we come; and now make a covenant with us. And the men of Israel said to the Hivite, Perhaps thou dwellest in the midst of us, and how should I make a covenant with thee? And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said to them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye? And they said to him, From a very far country are thy servants come, because of the name of Jehovah 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 beyond Jordan, to Sihon the king of Heshbon, and to Og the king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth. And our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, Take victuals in your hand for the way, and go to meet them, and say to them, We are your servants, and now make a covenant with us. This our bread we took warm for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; and now, behold, it is dry, and is become mouldy. And these flasks of wine which we filled new, behold, they are rent; and these our garments and our sandals are become old by reason of the very long journey. And the men took of their victuals, but they did not inquire at the mouth of Jehovah. And Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the princes of the assembly swore unto them.

And Rebecca spoke to Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak to Esau thy brother, saying, Bring me venison, and prepare me a savoury dish, that I may eat, and bless thee before Jehovah, before my death. And now, my son, hearken to my voice in that which I command thee. read more.
Go, I pray thee, to the flock, and fetch me thence two good kids of the goats. And I will make of them a savoury dish for thy father, such as he loves. And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, in order that he may bless thee before his death. And Jacob said to Rebecca his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. My father perhaps will feel me, and I shall be in his sight as one who mocks him, and I shall bring a curse on me, and not a blessing. And his mother said to him, On me be thy curse, my son! Only hearken to my voice, and go, fetch them. And he went, and fetched and brought them to his mother. And his mother prepared a savoury dish such as his father loved. And Rebecca took the clothes of her elder son Esau, the costly ones which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son; and she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands, and on the smooth of his neck; and she gave the savoury dishes and the bread that she had prepared into the hand of her son Jacob. And he came to his father, and said, My father! And he said, Here am I: who art thou, my son? And Jacob said to his father, I am Esau, thy firstborn. I have done according as thou didst say to me. Arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, in order that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac said to his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because Jehovah thy God put it in my way. And Isaac said to Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be really my son Esau or not. And Jacob drew 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; and he blessed him. And he said, Art thou really my son Esau? And he said, It is I. And he said, Bring it near to me, that I may eat of my son's venison, in order 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 to him, Come near, now, and kiss me, my son. And he came near, and kissed him. And he smelt the smell of his clothes, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which Jehovah hath blessed. And God give thee of the dew of heaven, And of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of corn and new wine. Let peoples serve thee, And races bow down to thee. Be lord over thy brethren, And let thy mother's sons bow down to thee. Cursed be they that curse thee, And blessed be they that bless thee.

And the serpent was more crafty than any animal of the field which Jehovah Elohim had made. And it said to the woman, Is it even so, that God has said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, God has said, Ye shall not eat of it, and ye shall not touch it, lest ye die. read more.
And the serpent said to the woman, Ye will not certainly die; but God knows that in the day ye eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and ye will be as God, knowing good and evil.