12 Bible Verses about Envy

[A Psalm of David.] Fret not yourself because of evildoers, neither be you envious of the workers of iniquity.

Love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not; love vaunts not itself, is not puffed up,

Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Envy you not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.

And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, You take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: why then lift you up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

Then the presidents and satraps sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no occasion nor fault; because he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.

But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and a great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

And his brothers envied him; but his father observed the saying.

[A Psalm of David.] Fret not yourself because of evildoers, neither be you envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

Be not envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. For their heart studies destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.

Envy you not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.

Let not your heart envy sinners: but be in the fear of the LORD all the day long.

Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

Therefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking,

Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

[A Psalm of David.] Fret not yourself because of evildoers, neither be you envious of the workers of iniquity.

For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely you did set them in slippery places: you cast them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. read more.
As a dream when one awakes; so, O Lord, when you awake, you shall despise their image.

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

For you are yet carnal: for while there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are you not carnal, and walk as men?

Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man does many miracles.

For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him out of envy.

For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.

A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

Call now, if there be any that will answer you; and to which of the holy ones will you turn? For wrath kills the foolish man, and envy slays the simple one.

Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of which I tell you beforehand, as I have also told you in time past, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Do you think that the scripture says in vain, The spirit that dwells in us lusts to envy?

And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers: and they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: read more.
For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and bowed down to my sheaf. And his brothers said to him, Shall you indeed reign over us? or shall you indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, Behold, I have dreamed another dream; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brothers: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow down ourselves to you to the earth? And his brothers envied him; but his father observed the saying.

And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer comes. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast has devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,

For wrath kills the foolish man, and envy slays the simple one.

A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, You take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: why then lift you up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD. The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.

But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spoke against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.

But the Jews who believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain wicked fellows of the rabble, and gathered a company, and set all the city in an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.

And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually.

And Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David from that day forward.

For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the ground, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Therefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.

And Sarai said unto Abram, The wrong done to me be upon you: I have given my maid into your bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and you. But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, your maid is in your hand; do to her as it pleases you. And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her face.

And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne unto Abraham, mocking. Therefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

For you are yet carnal: for while there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are you not carnal, and walk as men?

And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. And Moses said unto him, Are you jealous for my sake? would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!

Again, I considered all toil, and every skillful work, that for this a man is envied by his neighbor. This is also vanity and grasping after the wind.

But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spoke against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.

But the Jews who believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain wicked fellows of the rabble, and gathered a company, and set all the city in an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.

And his brothers envied him; but his father observed the saying.

Therefore, as I live, says the Lord GOD, I will even do according to your anger, and according to your envy which you have used out of your hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged you.

And Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?

Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good life his works with meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, boast not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. read more.
For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting over questions and disputes of words, out of which comes envy, strife, railings, evil suspicions,

Therefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking, As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby:

Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but which is able to stand before jealousy?

Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Then the presidents and satraps sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no occasion nor fault; because he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.

And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob has taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's has he gotten all this wealth.

LORD, when your hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy of the people; yea, the fire of your enemies shall devour them.

Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. And Moses said unto him, Are you jealous for my sake? would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them! And Moses returned into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.

But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Has the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? has he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it. (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men who were upon the face of the earth.) read more.
And the LORD spoke suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out you three unto the tabernacle of meeting. And the three came out. And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not thus, who is faithful in all my house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even clearly, and not in dark sayings; and the form of the LORD shall he behold: why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, as white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.

For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him out of envy.

But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, boast not, and lie not against the truth.

For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

For we ourselves also were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

Do you think that the scripture says in vain, The spirit that dwells in us lusts to envy?

For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and a great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that you have taken my husband? and would you take away my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with you tonight for your son's mandrakes.

And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. And the LORD said unto Cain, Why are you angry? and why is your countenance fallen? read more.
If you do well, shall you not be accepted? and if you do not well, sin lies at the door. And you shall be its desire, and you must rule over it. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob has taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's has he gotten all this wealth.

Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.

And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.

Then the presidents and satraps sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no occasion nor fault; because he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.

And his brothers envied him; but his father observed the saying.