34 Bible Verses about Folly, Examples Of

"Nevertheless this shall come upon them because my people is become foolish, and hath utterly no understanding. They are the children of foolishness, and without any discretion. To do evil, they have wit enough: but to do well, they have no wisdom."

"Dost thou so reward the LORD? O foolish nation and unwise. Is not he thy father and thine owner? Hath he not made thee and ordained thee?

They are altogether unlearned and unwise. All their cunning is but vanity:

Ephraim is like a dove, that is beguiled, and hath no heart. Now call they upon the Egyptians, now go they to the Assyrians:

For the herdsmen have done foolishly, that they have not sought the LORD. Therefore have they dealt unwisely with their cattle, and all are scattered abroad.

Thus sayeth the LORD God: Woe be unto those foolish prophets that follow their own spirit, and speak where they see nothing.

Woe be unto you, blind guides, for ye which say, 'Whosoever swear by the temple, it is nothing: but whosoever swear by the gold of the temple, he offendeth.' Ye fools and blind: whether is greater; the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses, because of his wife the Ethiopian which he had taken: for he had taken a Ethiopian to wife. And they said, "Doth the LORD speak only through Moses? Doth he not speak also by us?" And the LORD heard it. But Moses was a very meek man, above all the men of the earth.read more.
And the LORD spake at once unto Moses, unto Aaron and Miriam, "Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of witness." And they came out all three. 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 went out both of them. And he said, "Hear my words. If there be a prophet of the LORD's among you, I will show myself unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. But my servant Moses is not so, which is faithful in all mine house. Unto him I speak mouth to mouth and he seeth the sight and the fashion of the LORD, and not through riddles. Wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" And the LORD was angry with them and went his way, and the cloud departed from the tabernacle. And behold, Miriam was become leprous, as it were snow. And when Aaron looked upon Miriam and saw that she was leprous, he said unto Moses, "Oh I beseech thee my lord, put not the sin upon us which we have foolishly committed and sinned.

Then said Samuel to Saul, "Thou hast done foolishly and hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God which he commanded thee. For at this time would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever.

Then said Saul, "I have sinned. Come again, my son David, for I will do thee no more harm; because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day. Behold, I have played the fool and have erred exceeding much."

Let not my lord regard this unthrifty man Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him. But I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord which thou sendest.

And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And he said unto the LORD, "I have sinned exceedingly in that I have done. And now LORD take away the trespass of thy servant: for I have done foolishly."

Then said David to God, "I have sinned exceedingly in doing this thing. Nevertheless, yet do away the wickedness of thy servant, for I have done above measure foolishly."

At that same time, Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "Because thou trustedest in the king of Syria, and trustest not in the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not the black Moors and they of Libya a great host with exceeding many chariots and horsemen? And yet because thou trustedest in the LORD, he delivered them into thine hands. For the eyes of the LORD behold all the earth, to strengthen the hearts of them that are whole with him. Herein thou hast done foolishly, and therefore from henceforth thou shalt have war."

But ye foolish princes of Zoan, ye wise counselors of Pharaoh, whose wit is turned to foolishness: How say ye unto Pharaoh, "I am come of wise people; I am come of the old regal Progeny"? Where are they? Where are now thy wise men? Let them tell thee, if they can, what the LORD of Hosts hath taken in hand against Egypt. The princes of Zoan are become fools, and the princes of Noph are deceived: yea, they deceive Egypt with their nobility of their stock.

And whosoever heareth of me these sayings, and doeth them not the same, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went to meet the bridegroom: five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The foolish took their lamps, but took none oil with them.

And he put forth a similitude unto them, saying, "The ground of a certain rich man brought forth fruits plenteously, and he thought in himself saying, 'What shall I do? Because I have no room where to bestow my fruits.' And he said, 'This will I do. I will destroy my barns, and build greater: and therein will I gather all my fruits, and my goods:read more.
and I will say to my soul: Soul, thou hast much goods laid up in store for many years, take thine ease: eat, drink and be merry.' But God said unto him, 'Thou fool, this night will they fetch away thy soul again from thee. Then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?' So is it with him that gathered riches, and is not rich in God."

But Christ hath delivered us from the curse of the law, and was made accursed for us - for it is written, "Cursed is everyone that hangeth on tree" -

I say again, lest any man think that I am foolish: or else even now take me as a fool, that I may boast myself a little. That I speak, I speak it not after the ways of the Lord: but as it were foolishly, while we are now come to boasting. Seeing that many rejoice after the flesh, I will rejoice also.read more.
For ye suffer fools gladly because that ye yourselves are wise. For ye suffer even if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour, if a man take, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face. I speak as concerning rebuke, as though we had been weak. Howbeit, whereinsoever any man dare be bold - I speak foolishly - I dare be bold also.

Would to God, ye could suffer me a little in my foolishness: yea, and I pray you forbear me.

and yet though I would rejoice I should not be a fool, for I would say the truth. Nevertheless I spare, lest any man should think of me above that he seeth me to be, or heareth of me.

For the preaching of the cross is, to them that perish, foolishness: but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God.

Be ye sure, O Israel: the time of visitation is come, the days of recompensing are at hand. As for the prophet, ye hold him for a fool; and him that is rich in the spirit, for a mad man: so great is your wickedness and malice.

And the LORD said unto me, "Take to thee also the staff of a foolish shepherd:

Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the searcher of this world? Hath not God made the wisdom of this world foolishness? For when the world, through wisdom, knew not God in the wisdom of God: it pleased God through foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom.read more.
But we preach Christ crucified: unto the Jews, an occasion of falling; and unto the Greeks, foolishness. But unto them which are called, both of Jews and Greeks, we preach Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men: And the weakness of God is stronger than are men.

We are fools for Christ's sake, and ye are wise through Christ: we are weak, and ye are strong. Ye are honorable, and we are despised.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He compasseth the wise in their craftiness."

He carrieth away the wise men, as it were a spoil, and bringeth the judges out of their wits.

therefore will I also show unto this people a marvelous, terrible, and great thing - Namely this: I will destroy the wisdom of their wise, and the understanding of their learned men shall perish."

I destroy the tokens of witches, and make the Soothsayers go wrong. As for the wise, I turn them backward, and make their cunning foolishness.

For thus sayeth the LORD: My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.

The sword upon their soothsayers: as for those, they shall become fools. The sword upon their worthies: so that they shall stand in fear.

When they counted themselves wise, they became fools