30 Bible Verses about Nations

Nevertheless, the gloom of the distressed land will not be like that of the former times when He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. But in the future He will bring honor to the Way of the Sea, to the land east of the Jordan, and to Galilee of the nations.

Put terror in them, Lord;
let the nations know they are only men.Selah

for kingship belongs to the Lord;
He rules over the nations.

Today I will begin to put the fear and dread of you on the peoples everywhere under heaven. They will hear the report about you, tremble, and be in anguish because of you.’

However, I will judge the nation they serve, and afterward they will go out with many possessions.

You are My battle club, My weapons of war. With you I will smash nations; with you I will bring kingdoms to ruin. With you I will smash the horse and its rider; with you I will smash the chariot and its rider.

"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left.

"Those who dedicate and purify themselves to [enter] the groves following their leader, eating meat from pigs, vermin, and rats, will perish together." [This is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration. "Knowing their works and their thoughts, I have come to gather all nations and languages; they will come and see My glory.

Yes, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and take them to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. I will enter into judgment with them there because of My people, My inheritance Israel. The nations have scattered the Israelites in foreign countries and divided up My land. They cast lots for My people; they bartered a boy for a prostitute and sold a girl for wine to drink. read more.
And also: Tyre, Sidon, and all the territories of Philistia-what are you to Me? Are you paying Me back or trying to get even with Me? I will quickly bring retribution on your heads. For you took My silver and gold and carried My finest treasures to your temples. You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks to remove them far from their own territory. Look, I am about to rouse them up from the place where you sold them; I will bring retribution on your heads. I will sell your sons and daughters into the hands of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a distant nation, for the Lord has spoken. Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for holy war; rouse the warriors; let all the men of war advance and attack! Hammer your plowshares into swords and your pruning knives into spears. Let even the weakling say: I am a warrior. Come quickly, all you surrounding nations; gather yourselves. Bring down Your warriors there, Lord. Let the nations be roused and come to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit down to judge all the surrounding nations. Swing the sickle because the harvest is ripe. Come and trample [the grapes] because the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because the wickedness of the nations is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the Day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

Therefore, wait for Me—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
until the day I rise up for plunder.
For My decision is to gather nations,
to assemble kingdoms,
in order to pour out My indignation on them,
all My burning anger;
for the whole earth will be consumed
by the fire of My jealousy.

An Oracle The word of the Lord concerning Israel. A declaration of the Lord, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and formed the spirit of man within him. "Look, I will make Jerusalem a cup that causes staggering for the peoples who surround the city. The siege against Jerusalem will also involve Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who try to lift it will injure themselves severely when all the nations of the earth gather against her.

Put terror in them, Lord;
let the nations know they are only men.Selah

I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh,
and they will be drunk with their own blood
as with sweet wine.
Then all flesh will know
that I, Yahweh, am your Savior,
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

and so that all the peoples of the earth may know that Yahweh is God. There is no other!

I will display My greatness and holiness, and will reveal Myself in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.

Now to Him who has power to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the sacred secret kept silent for long ages, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures, according to the command of the eternal God, to advance the obedience of faith among all nations-

And you, My servant Jacob, do not be afraid—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
for I will be with you.
I will bring destruction on all the nations
where I have banished you,
but I will not bring destruction on you.
I will discipline you with justice,
and I will by no means leave you unpunished.

As for you, My servant Jacob, do not be afraid- [this is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration- and do not be dismayed, Israel, for I will without fail save you from far away, your descendants, from the land of their captivity! Jacob will return and have calm and quiet with no one to frighten him. For I will be with you- [this is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration- to save you! I will bring destruction on all the nations where I have scattered you; however, I will not bring destruction on you. I will discipline you justly, but I will by no means leave you unpunished.

Israelites, are you not like the Cushites to Me? [This is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration. Didn't I bring Israel from the land of Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Arameans from Kir? Look, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth. However, I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob- the Lord's declaration-

"My king, as you were watching, a colossal statue appeared. That statue, tall and dazzling, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was terrifying. The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its stomach and thighs were bronze, its legs were iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly fired clay. read more.
As you were watching, a stone broke off without a hand touching it, struck the statue on its feet of iron and fired clay, and crushed them. Then the iron, the fired clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were shattered and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. "This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. Your Majesty, you are king of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and glory. Wherever people live-or wild animals, or birds of the air-He has handed them over to you and made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold. "After you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours, and then another, a third kingdom, of bronze, which will rule the whole earth. A fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron; for iron crushes and shatters everything, and like iron that smashes, it will crush and smash all the others. You saw the feet and toes, partly of a potter's fired clay and partly of iron-it will be a divided kingdom, though some of the strength of iron will be in it. You saw the iron mixed with clay, and that the toes of the feet were part iron and part fired clay-part of the kingdom will be strong, and part will be brittle. You saw the iron mixed with clay-the peoples will mix with one another but will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with fired clay. "In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever.

On that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the one who is weakest among them will be like David on that day, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the Lord, before them. On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

The Lord said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father's house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

Abraham is to become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him.

Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, "By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this thing and have not withheld your only son, I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the gates of their enemies. read more.
And all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring because you have obeyed My command."

stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky, I will give your offspring all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring,

You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, saying to Abraham, And all the families of the earth will be blessed through your offspring.

I continued watching in the night visions, and I saw One like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before Him. He was given authority to rule, and glory, and a kingdom; so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.

All the ends of the earth will remember
and turn to the Lord.
All the families of the nations
will bow down before You,

As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will certainly bless him; I will make him fruitful and will multiply him greatly. He will father 12 tribal leaders, and I will make him into a great nation.

The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son mocking-the one Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham. So she said to Abraham, "Drive out this slave with her son, for the son of this slave will not be a co-heir with my son Isaac!" read more.
Now this was a very difficult thing for Abraham because of his son. But God said to Abraham, "Do not be concerned about the boy and your slave. Whatever Sarah says to you, listen to her, because your offspring will be traced through Isaac. But I will also make a nation of the slave's son because he is your offspring."

Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? The life of every living thing is in His hand, as well as the breath of all mankind. Doesn't the ear test words as the palate tastes food? read more.
Wisdom is found with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life. Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are His. Whatever He tears down cannot be rebuilt; whoever He imprisons cannot be released. When He withholds the waters, everything dries up, and when He releases them, they destroy the land. True wisdom and power belong to Him. The deceived and the deceiver are His. He leads counselors away barefoot and makes judges go mad. He releases the bonds put on by kings and ties a cloth around their waists. He leads priests away barefoot and overthrows established leaders. He deprives trusted advisers of speech and takes away the elders' good judgment. He pours out contempt on nobles and disarms the strong. He reveals mysteries from the darkness and brings the deepest darkness into the light. He makes nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges nations, then leads them away.

The Lord is at Your right hand; He will crush kings on the day of His anger. He will judge the nations, heaping up corpses; He will crush leaders over the entire world.

and many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about His ways so that we may walk in His paths." For instruction will go out of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will settle disputes among the nations and provide arbitration for many peoples. They will turn their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nations will not take up the sword against [other] nations, and they will never again train for war.

In the last days the mountain of the Lord's house will be established at the top of the mountains and will be raised above the hills. Peoples will stream to it, and many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about His ways so we may walk in His paths." For instruction will go out of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will settle disputes among many peoples and provide arbitration for strong nations that are far away. They will beat their swords into plows, and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, and they will never again train for war.

Noah's sons who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were Noah's sons, and from them the whole earth was populated.

These are the family records of Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. They also had sons after the deluge. Japheth's sons: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. Gomer's sons: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. read more.
And Javan's sons: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. The coastland peoples spread out into their lands. These are [Japheth's sons] by their clans, in their nations. Each [group] had its own language. Ham's sons: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. Cush's sons: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. And Raamah's sons: Sheba and Dedan. Cush fathered Nimrod, who was the first powerful man on earth. He was a powerful hunter in the sight of the Lord. That is why it is said, "Like Nimrod, a powerful hunter in the sight of the Lord." His kingdom started with Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, and Resen, between Nineveh and the great city Calah. Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim (the Philistines came from them), and Caphtorim. Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn, and the Hittites, the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterwards the Canaanite clans scattered. The Canaanite border went from Sidon going toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and going toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. These are Ham's sons, by their clans, according to their languages, in their own lands and their nations. And Shem, Japheth's older brother, also had children. Shem was the father of all the children of Eber. Shem's sons were Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. Aram's sons: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. Arpachshad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber. Eber had two sons. One was named Peleg, for during his days the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan. And Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were Joktan's sons. Their settlements extended from Mesha to Sephar, the eastern hill country. These are Shem's sons by their clans, according to their languages, in their lands and their nations. These are the clans of Noah's sons, according to their family records, in their nations. The nations on earth spread out from these after the flood.

"As for Me, My covenant is with you, and you will become the father of many nations. Your name will no longer be Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I will make you the father of many nations. I will make you extremely fruitful and will make nations and kings come from you.

The wicked flee when no one is pursuing [them], but the righteous are as bold as a lion. When a land is in rebellion, it has many rulers, but with a discerning and knowledgeable person, it endures.

Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a disgrace to any people.

For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it-He is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in shrines made by hands. Neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives everyone life and breath and all things. read more.
From one man He has made every nation of men to live all over the earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live,

Say to God, "How awe-inspiring are Your works! Your enemies will cringe before You because of Your great strength. All the earth will worship You and sing praise to You. They will sing praise to Your name." Selah Come and see the works of God; His acts toward mankind are awe-inspiring. read more.
He turned the sea into dry land, and they crossed the river on foot. There we rejoiced in Him. He rules forever by His might; He keeps His eye on the nations. The rebellious should not exalt themselves. Selah

Happy is the nation whose God is Yahweh—
the people He has chosen to be His own possession!

Why do the nations rebel and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and His Anointed One: "Let us tear off their chains and free ourselves from their restraints." read more.
The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord ridicules them. Then He speaks to them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath: "I have consecrated My King on Zion, My holy mountain."

The wicked will return to Sheol—
all the nations that forget God.