12 Bible Verses about Craftiness

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

They did work craftily, and went and made as if they were ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their donkeys, and wine skins, old, and torn, and mended;

That we from now on be no more 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 consulted that they might take Jesus by subtlety, and kill him.

But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why do you test me?

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

Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God in truth, neither care you for any man: for you regard not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What think you? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?

Saying, Teacher, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up children unto his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no child, 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 as they sat and did eat, 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, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? And he answered and 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 did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.

And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. And they watched him, and sent forth spies, who should pretend themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. And they asked him, saying, Teacher, we know that you say and teach rightly, neither do you regard any person, but teach the way of God truly: read more.
Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why do you test me? Show me a penny. Whose image and superscription has it? 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 marveled at his answer, and held their peace.

I would seek unto God, and unto God would I 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.
To set up on high those that are low; that those who mourn may be lifted to safety. He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their plans. He takes the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the cunning is quickly ended.

Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he 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, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtlety, and kill him.

After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.

And he said, What shall I give you? And Jacob said, You shall not give me anything: if you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flock. I will pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown lambs among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my wages. So shall my honesty answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my wages before your face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me. read more.
And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to your word. And he removed that day the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female 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 plane tree; and peeled white streaks 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 flocks striped, speckled, and spotted. And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not with Laban's flock. And it came to pass, when the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. And the man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and donkeys.

And Jacob said, Sell me this day your birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point of death: and what profit shall this birthright be to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he swore unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, They did work craftily, and went and made as if they were ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their donkeys, and wine skins, old, and torn, and mended; And old patched shoes upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy. read more.
And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We are come from a far country: now therefore make you a covenant with us. And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Perhaps you dwell among us; and how shall we make a covenant with you? And they said unto Joshua, We are your servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are you? and from where do you come? And they said unto him, From a very far country your servants have come because of the name of the LORD your 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 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 provisions with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make you 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 unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is moldy: And these skins of wine, 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 provisions, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD. And Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to let them live: and the leaders of the congregation swore to them.

And Rebekah spoke unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard your father speak unto Esau your brother, saying, Bring me venison, and make me savory food, that I may eat, and bless you before the LORD before my death. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command you. read more.
Go now to the flock, and fetch me from there two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savory food for your father, such as he loves: And you shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, and that he may bless you 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 perhaps will 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 unto him, Upon me be your curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go bring me them. And he went, and took, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved. And Rebekah took the best clothing 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 savory 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 are you, my son? And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau your firstborn; I have done according as you bade me: arise, I pray you, sit and eat of my venison, that your soul may bless me. And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD your God brought it to me. And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray you, that I may feel you, my son, whether you 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 recognized him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him. And he said, are you 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 you. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: 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 God give you of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine: Let people serve you, and nations bow down to you: be lord over your brethren, and let your mother's sons bow down to you: cursed be everyone that curses you, and blessed be he that blesses you.

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, has God said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said 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, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. read more.
And the serpent said unto the woman, You shall not surely die: For God does know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.