18 Bible Verses about Instruction

Hold on to instruction; don’t let go.
Guard it, for it is your life.

Hold on to instruction; don’t let go.
Guard it, for it is your life.

Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah, who were Levites, explained the law to the people as they stood in their places.

He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him home and explained the way of God to him more accurately.

In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sent his officials—Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah—to teach in the cities of Judah.

So Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning from that Scripture.

Then He began to teach them, saying:

Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?”

Then He dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached Him and said, “Explain the parable of the weeds in the field to us.”

When He was alone with the Twelve, those who were around Him asked Him about the parables.

When He went into the house away from the crowd, the disciples asked Him about the parable.

Then they began to question Him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said to Him, “You know that I love You.”

“Feed My lambs,” He told him.

Teach a youth about the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.

“Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you don’t forget the things your eyes have seen and so that they don’t slip from your mind as long as you live. Teach them to your children and your grandchildren.

Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

The Lord’s slave must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient,

and teach the Israelites all the statutes that the Lord has given to them through Moses.”

so that a future generation—
children yet to be born—might know.
They were to rise and tell their children

But they kept ridiculing God’s messengers, despising His words, and scoffing at His prophets, until the Lord’s wrath was so stirred up against His people that there was no remedy.

The fear of the Lord
is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and discipline.

“How long, foolish ones, will you love ignorance?
How long will you mockers enjoy mocking
and you fools hate knowledge?

The couriers traveled from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but the inhabitants laughed at them and mocked them.

You hate instruction
and turn your back on My words.

There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read before the entire assembly of Israel, including the women, the little children, and the foreigners who were with them.

Come, children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Throughout the time Jehoiada the priest instructed him, Joash did what was right in the Lord’s sight.

My son, don’t forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commands;

and you know that from childhood you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction,
and don’t reject your mother’s teaching,

For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light,
and corrective discipline is the way to life.

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but one who hates correction is stupid.

The sayings of the wise are like goads, and those from masters of collections are like firmly embedded nails. The sayings are given by one Shepherd.

Again, I observed all the acts of oppression being done under the sun. Look at the tears of those who are oppressed; they have no one to comfort them. Power is with those who oppress them; they have no one to comfort them.

I went by the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking sense. Thistles had come up everywhere, weeds covered the ground, and the stone wall was ruined. I saw, and took it to heart; I looked, and received instruction: read more.
a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest, and your poverty will come like a robber, your need, like a bandit.

I applied my mind to seek and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven. God has given people this miserable task to keep them occupied. I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind. What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted. read more.
I said to myself, "Look, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has thoroughly grasped wisdom and knowledge." I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly; I learned that this too is a pursuit of the wind. For with much wisdom is much sorrow; as knowledge increases, grief increases.

"This is why I tell you: Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky: they don't sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they? Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying? read more.
And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don't labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! If that's how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won't He do much more for you-you of little faith?

A fool despises his father’s discipline,
but a person who accepts correction is sensible.

The fear of the Lord
is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Don’t speak to a fool,
for he will despise the insight of your words.

But God says to the wicked: "What right do you have to recite My statutes and to take My covenant on your lips? You hate instruction and turn your back on My words.

His God teaches him order;
He instructs him.

God, You have taught me from my youth,
and I still proclaim Your wonderful works.

For this is what the Lord said to me with great power, to keep me from going the way of this people:

The anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, His anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie; just as He has taught you, remain in Him.

About brotherly love: You don’t need me to write you because you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.

You sent Your good Spirit to instruct them.
You did not withhold Your manna from their mouths,
and You gave them water for their thirst.

Look, I have taught you statutes and ordinances as the Lord my God has commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to possess.

Listen to counsel and receive instruction
so that you may be wise later in life.

And now, [my] sons, listen to me; those who keep my ways are happy. Listen to instruction and be wise; don't ignore it.

Apply yourself to discipline
and listen to words of knowledge.

It is written in the Prophets: And they will all be taught by God. Everyone who has listened to and learned from the Father comes to Me—

Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God.

The one who corrects a mocker will bring dishonor on himself; the one who rebukes a wicked man will get hurt. Don't rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will learn more. read more.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

When a mocker is punished,
the inexperienced become wiser;
when one teaches a wise man,
he acquires knowledge.

Anyone who ignores discipline despises himself,
but whoever listens to correction acquires good sense.

Poverty and disgrace come to those
who ignore discipline,
but the one who accepts correction will be honored.

Hold on to instruction; don’t let go.
Guard it, for it is your life.

For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light,
and corrective discipline is the way to life.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

"This is what the Lord said to me: Make fetters and yoke bars for yourself and put them on your neck. Send [word] to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon through messengers who are coming to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem. Command them [to go] to their masters, saying: This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: This is what you must say to your masters: read more.
By My great strength and outstretched arm, I made the earth, and the people, and animals on the face of the earth. I give it to anyone I please. So now I have placed all these lands under the authority of My servant Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. I have even given him the wild animals to serve him. All nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson until the time for his own land comes, and then many nations and great kings will enslave him. "As for the nation or kingdom that does not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and does not place its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will punish by sword, famine, and plague"-[this is] the Lord's declaration-"until through him I have destroyed it. But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your fortune-tellers, or your sorcerers who say to you: Don't serve the king of Babylon! for they prophesy a lie to you so that you will be removed from your land. I will banish you, and you will perish. But as for the nation that will put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave it in its own land, and that nation will till it and reside in it." [This is] the Lord's declaration.

assuming you heard about Him and were taught by Him, because the truth is in Jesus.

They have turned their backs to Me and not their faces. Though I taught them time and time again, they do not listen and receive discipline.

If you stop listening to correction, my son,
you will stray from the words of knowledge.

The one who follows instruction is on the path to life,
but the one who rejects correction goes astray.

Insight is a fountain of life for its possessor,
but the discipline of fools is folly.

A wise son responds to his father’s discipline,
but a mocker doesn’t listen to rebuke.

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but one who hates correction is stupid.

"Son of man, eat your bread with trembling and drink your water with shaking and anxiety. Then say to the people of the land: This is what the Lord God says about the residents of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water in dread, for their land will be stripped of everything in it because of the violence of all who live there. The inhabited cities will be destroyed, and the land will become a desolation. Then you will know that I am the Lord."

"Son of man, take a single stick and write on it: Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him. Then take another stick and write on it: Belonging to Joseph-the stick of Ephraim-and all the house of Israel associated with him. Then join them together into a single stick so that they become one in your hand. When your people ask you: Won't you explain to us what you mean by these things?- read more.
tell them: This is what the Lord God says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph-which is in the hand of Ephraim-and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and put them together with the stick of Judah. I will make them into a single stick so that they become one in My hand. "When the sticks you have written on are in your hand and in full view of the people, tell them: This is what the Lord God says: I am going to take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them. They will no longer be two nations and will no longer be divided into two kingdoms.

"Son of man, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you with a fatal blow. But you must not lament or weep or let your tears flow. Groan quietly; do not observe mourning rites for the dead. Put on your turban and strap your sandals on your feet; do not cover [your] mustache or eat the bread of mourners." I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. The next morning I did just as I was commanded. read more.
Then the people asked me, "Won't you tell us what these things you are doing mean for us?" So I answered them: "The word of the Lord came to me: 'Say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord God says: I am about to desecrate My sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the desire of your heart. Also, the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword. Then you will do just as I have done: You will not cover [your] mustache or eat the bread of mourners. Your turbans will remain on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not lament or weep but will waste away because of your sins and will groan to one another. Now Ezekiel will be a sign for you. You will do everything that he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Lord God . " 'Son of man, know that on the day I take their stronghold from them, their pride and joy, the delight of their eyes and the longing of their hearts, [as well as] their sons and daughters, on that day a fugitive will come to you and report the news. On that day your mouth will be opened [to talk] with him; you will speak and no longer be mute. So you will be a sign for them, and they will know that I am the Lord.' "

The people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and camped at Gilgal on the eastern limits of Jericho. Then Joshua set up in Gilgal the 12 stones they had taken from the Jordan, and he said to the Israelites, "When your children ask their fathers in the future, 'What is the meaning of these stones?' read more.
you should tell your children, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over. This is so that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord's hand is mighty, and so that you may always fear the Lord your God."

"Speak to the Israelites and tell them that throughout their generations they are to make tassels for the corners of their garments, and put a blue cord on the tassel at [each] corner. These will serve as tassels for you to look at, so that you may remember all the Lord's commands and obey them and not become unfaithful by following your own heart and your own eyes.

"Son of man, pack your bags for exile and go into exile in their sight during the day. You will go into exile from your place to another place while they watch; perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house. During the day, bring out your bags like an exile's bags while they look on. Then in the evening go out in their sight like those going into exile. As they watch, dig through the wall and take the [bags] out through it. read more.
And while they look on, lift [the bags] to [your] shoulder and take [them] out in the dark; cover your face so that you cannot see the land. For I have made you a sign to the house of Israel." So I did just as I was commanded. I brought out my bags like an exile's bags in the daytime. In the evening I dug through the wall by hand; I took [them] out in the dark, carrying [them] on my shoulder in their sight. Then the word of the Lord came to me in the morning: "Son of man, hasn't the house of Israel, that rebellious house, asked you: What are you doing? Say to them: This is what the Lord God says: This oracle is about the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are living there. You are to say: I am a sign for you. Just as I have done, so it will be done to them; they will go into exile, into captivity. The prince who is among them will lift [his bags] to his shoulder in the dark and go out. They will dig through the wall to bring [him] out through it. He will cover his face so he cannot see the land with his eyes. But I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, yet he will not see it, and he will die there. I will also scatter all the attendants who surround him and all his troops to every direction of the wind, and I will draw a sword [to chase] after them. They will know that I am the Lord when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries. But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine, and plague so they can tell about all their abominations among the nations where they go. Then they will know that I am the Lord."

This is what the Lord says: "Go, buy a potter's clay jug. Take some of the elders of the people and some of the elders of the priests and go out to the Valley of Hinnom near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. Proclaim there the words I speak to you. Say: Hear the word of the Lord, kings of Judah and residents of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on this place that everyone who hears about it will shudder read more.
because they have abandoned Me and made this a foreign place. They have burned incense in it to other gods that they, their fathers, and the kings of Judah have never known. They have filled this place with the blood of the innocent. They have built high places to Baal on which to burn their children in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, something I have never commanded or mentioned; I never entertained the thought. "Therefore, take note! The days are coming"-[this is] the Lord's declaration-"when this place will no longer be called Topheth and the Valley of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. I will spoil the plans of Judah and Jerusalem in this place. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, by the hand of those who want to take their life. I will provide their corpses as food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land. I will make this city desolate, an object of scorn. Everyone who passes by it will be horrified and scoff because of all its wounds. I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and they will eat each other's flesh in the siege and distress that their enemies, those who want to take their life, inflict on them. "Then you are to shatter the jug in the presence of the people traveling with you, and you are to proclaim to them: This is what the Lord of Hosts says: I will shatter these people and this city, like one shatters a potter's jar that can never again be mended. They will bury in Topheth until there is no place left to bury. I will do so to this place"-[this is] the declaration of the Lord-"and to its residents, making this city like Topheth.

This is what the Lord said to me: "Go and buy yourself linen underwear and put it on, but don't get it wet." So I bought underwear as the Lord instructed me and put it on. Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time: read more.
"Take the underwear that you bought and are wearing, and go at once to the Euphrates River and hide it in a rocky crevice." So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me. A long time later the Lord said to me, "Go at once to the Euphrates and get the underwear that I commanded you to hide there." So I went to the Euphrates and dug up the underwear and got it from the place where I had hidden it, but it was ruined-of no use whatsoever. Then the word of the Lord came to me: "This is what the Lord says: Just like this I will ruin the great pride of both Judah and Jerusalem. These evil people, who refuse to listen to Me, who walk in the stubbornness of their own hearts, and who have followed other gods to serve and worship-they will be like this underwear, of no use whatsoever. Just as underwear clings to one's waist, so I fastened the whole house of Israel and of Judah to Me"-[this is the Lord's declaration]-"so that they might be My people for My fame, praise, and glory, but they would not obey.

I went by the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking sense. Thistles had come up everywhere, weeds covered the ground, and the stone wall was ruined. I saw, and took it to heart; I looked, and received instruction: read more.
a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest, and your poverty will come like a robber, your need, like a bandit.

The word of the Lord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth [day] of the month: "Son of man, write down today's date, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. Now speak a parable to the rebellious house. Tell them: This is what the Lord God says: Put the pot on [the fire]- put [it] on, and then pour water into it! read more.
Place the pieces of meat in it, every good piece- thigh and shoulder. Fill it with choice bones. Take the choicest of the flock and also pile up the fuel under it. Bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it." Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Woe to the city of bloodshed, the pot that has rust inside it, and whose rust will not come off! Empty it piece by piece; lots should not be cast for its contents. For the blood she shed is in her midst. She put it out on the bare rock; she didn't pour it on the ground to cover it with dust. In order to stir up wrath and take vengeance, I have put her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered. Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Woe to the city of bloodshed! I Myself will make the pile of kindling large. Pile on the logs and kindle the fire! Cook the meat well and mix in the spices! Let the bones be burned! Set the empty pot on its coals so that it becomes hot and its copper glows. Then its impurity will melt inside it; its rust will be consumed. It has frustrated every effort; its thick rust will not come off. Into the fire with its rust! Because of the indecency of your uncleanness- since I tried to purify you, but you would not be purified from your uncleanness- you will not be pure again until I have satisfied My wrath on you. I, the Lord, have spoken. It is coming, and I will do it! I will not refrain, I will not show pity, and I will not relent. I will judge you according to your ways and deeds. [This is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the declaration of the Lord God .

during that time the Lord had spoken through Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, "Go, take off your sackcloth and remove the sandals from your feet," and he did so, going naked and barefoot- the Lord said, "As My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot three years as a sign and omen against Egypt and Cush,

"Also take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt. Put them in a single container and make them into bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the number of days you lie on your side, 390 days. The food you eat each day will be eight ounces by weight; you will eat it from time to time. You are also to drink water by measure, one-sixth of a gallon, [which] you will drink from time to time. read more.
You will eat it as [you would] a barley cake and bake it over dried human excrement in their sight." The Lord said, "This is how the Israelites will eat their bread-ceremonially unclean-among the nations where I will banish them." But I said, "Ah, Lord God , I have never been defiled. From my youth until now I have not eaten anything that died naturally or was mauled by wild beasts. And impure meat has never entered my mouth." He replied to me, "Look, I will let you [use] cow dung instead of human excrement, and you can make your bread over that." Then He said to me, "Son of man, I am going to cut off the supply of bread in Jerusalem. They will anxiously eat bread [rationed] by weight and in dread drink water by measure. So they will lack bread and water; everyone will be devastated and waste away because of their iniquity.

"But you, son of man, groan! Groan bitterly with a broken heart right before their eyes. And when they ask you: Why are you groaning? then say: Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt, and every hand will become weak. Every spirit will be discouraged, and every knee will turn to water. Yes, it is coming and it will happen." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God .

"Then lie down on your left side and place the iniquity of the house of Israel on it. You will bear their iniquity for the number of days you lie on your side. For I have assigned you the years of their iniquity according to the number of days [you lie down], 390 days; so you will bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. When you have completed these days, lie down again, but on your right side, and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year. read more.
You must turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared, and prophesy against it. Be aware that I will put cords on you so you cannot turn from side to side until you have finished the days of your siege.

"Now you, son of man, take a brick, set it in front of you, and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. Then lay siege against it: construct a siege wall, build a ramp, pitch military camps, and place battering rams against it on all sides. Take an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between yourself and the city. Turn your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This will be a sign for the house of Israel.

Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Two quarts of it are to be preserved throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”

Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah, who were Levites, explained the law to the people as they stood in their places.

He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him home and explained the way of God to him more accurately.

In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sent his officials—Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah—to teach in the cities of Judah.

So Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning from that Scripture.

Then He began to teach them, saying: