12 Bible Verses about Craftiness

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said to the woman, Is it so that God has said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

they worked slyly. For they came and acted as if they were ambassadors. And they took old sacks on their asses, and old and torn and bound up wineskins,

so that we no longer may be infants, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, in the dishonesty of men, in cunning craftiness, to the wiles of deceit.

And they consulted so that they might take Jesus by guile and kill Him.

But He perceived their craftiness and said to them, Why do you tempt Me?

And they sent certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians to Him, to catch Him in His words.

Then the Pharisees left and took counsel that they might entangle Him in words. And they sent their disciples out to Him along with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that you are true, and that you teach the way of God in truth. Nor do you care for anyone, for you do not regard the person of men. Therefore tell us; what do you think? Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?

saying, Master, Moses said, If a 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, when he had married a wife, died. And, having no issue, he left his wife to his brother. The second also did likewise, and the third, to the seventh. read more.
And last of all the woman also died. Therefore in the resurrection, whose wife shall she be, of the seven? For they all had her.

And as they reclined and ate, Jesus said, Truly I say to you, One of you will betray Me, the one eating with Me. And they began to be grieved, and to say to Him one by one, Not at all I, is it? And another said, Not at all I, is it? And answering He said to them, It is one of the Twelve, the one dipping with Me in the dish. read more.
The Son of Man indeed goes, as it has been written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It were good for that man if he had never been born. And as they ate, Jesus took a loaf and blessed and broke it, and He gave to them and said, Take, eat; this is My body. And taking the cup, giving thanks, He gave to them. And they all drank out of it.

And the chief priests and the scribes sought to lay hands on Him the same hour. And they feared the people, for they perceived that He had spoken this parable against them. And they watched and sent forth spies, pretending themselves to be righteous men, so that they might seize upon a word of His, that they might deliver Him in this way to the power and authority of the governor. And they asked Him, saying, Teacher, we know that you say and teach rightly, and do not accept the person of anyone, but truly teach the way of God. read more.
Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar or not? But He perceived their craftiness and said to them, Why do you tempt Me? Show Me a coin. Whose image and inscription does it have? They answered and said, Caesar's. And He said to them, Therefore render to Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to 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 were silent.

Truly, I would seek to God, and to God I would put my plea, Who is doing great things, even beyond searching; marvelous things without number, who gives rain on the earth and sends waters on the field, read more.
to set on high those who are low, so that those who mourn may be lifted up to safety; frustrating the plans of the crafty, nor did their hands do wisely. He takes the wise in their own craftiness; and the counsel of the wily is carried headlong.

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool so 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 since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not faint. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor adulterating the Word of God, but by the revelation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

And they consulted so that they might take Jesus by guile and kill Him.

And after two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by craft and kill Him.

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 the flocks today, taking out all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all of the black sheep among the lambs, and the spotted and the speckled among the goats. And these shall be my hire. And shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, and it shall come for my hire before your face. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, shall be counted stolen with me. read more.
And Laban said, Yes, truly let it be according to your word. And that day he took out the he-goats that were striped and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black from among the lambs, 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 a fresh tree, and the almond and plane tree. And he peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. And he set the rods which he had peeled by the troughs, by the water troughs, where the flocks came to drink, across from the flocks, and the flocks were in heat when they came to drink. And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth striped cattle, speckled, and spotted. And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped, and all the black in the flock of Laban. And he put his own flocks by themselves, and did not put them with the flock of Laban. And it happened when the stronger flocks conceived, Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flocks in the troughs, so that they might conceive among the rods. But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put them in. And usually it came to be, the weak ones were Laban's and the stronger ones Jacob's. And the man increased exceedingly, and had many flocks, and maidservants, and male servants, and camels, and asses.

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

And when those who lived in Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, they worked slyly. For they came and acted as if they were ambassadors. And they took old sacks on their asses, and old and torn and bound up wineskins, and old and patched sandals on their feet, and old clothes on them. And all the bread they had taken was dry and 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 a treaty with us. And the men of Israel said to the Hivites, Perhaps you are living among us, and how shall we make a treaty with you? And they said to Joshua, We are your servants. And Joshua said to them, Who are you, and from where do you come? And they said to him, Your servants have come from a very far country, because of the name of Jehovah your God. For we have heard of His fame and all that He did in Egypt, and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth. And our elders and all those who live in our country spoke to us saying, Take provisions with you for the journey, and go to meet them. Say to them, We are your servants. And now make a treaty with us. We took this bread hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came out to go to you. But now, see, it is dry, and it is moldy. And these wineskins which we filled were new. And, see, they are torn. And these clothes and shoes of ours have become old because of the very long journey. And they received the men because of their provisions, and did not ask at the mouth of Jehovah. And Joshua made peace with them, and made a treaty with them, to let them live. And the rulers of the congregation swore to them.

And Rebekah spoke to her son Jacob, saying, Behold, I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, saying, Bring me game, and make me delicious things so that I may eat and bless you before Jehovah before my death. And now, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you. read more.
Go now to the flock, and bring me from there two good kids of the goats. And I will make them delicious things for your father, such as he loves. And you shall bring it to your father so that he may eat, and that he may bless you before his death. And Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, 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, Your curse be upon me, my son, only obey my voice and go bring them to me. And he went. And he took them and brought to his mother. And his mother made delicious things such as his father loved. And Rebekah took the clothes of her older 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 from the kids of the goats on his hands, and on the smooth of his neck. And she gave the delicious things 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 you, my son? And Jacob said to his father, I am Esau your first-born. I have done as you asked me. Arise, I pray you, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me. And Isaac said to his son, How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because Jehovah your God brought it to me. And Isaac said to Jacob, Come near, I pray you, so that I may feel you, my son, whether you are truly my 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 the hands of Esau. And he did not know him because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands. And he blessed him. And he said, Are you truly my son Esau? And he said, I am. And he said, Bring it to me, and I will eat of my son's game, so that my soul may bless you. 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 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 Jehovah has blessed. And may 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 let nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, 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 cunning than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said to the woman, Is it so that God has said, You 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 which is in the middle 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 to the woman, You shall not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as God, knowing good and evil.