22 Bible Verses about Partiality

Then he also went in to Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with him yet another seven years.

Then Joseph {hurried away}, {being overcome with emotion} toward his brother, and sought for [a place] to cry. Then he went into a room and wept there.

And Isaac loved Esau because {he could eat of his game}, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

My brothers, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with partiality. For if someone enters into your assembly in fine clothing with a gold ring on his finger, and a poor person in filthy clothing also enters, and you look favorably on the one wearing the fine clothing and you say, "Be seated here in a good place," and to the poor person you say, "You stand or be seated there by my footstool,"read more.
have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and were not able to speak peaceably to him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told [it] to his brothers. And {they hated him even more}. And he said to them, "Listen now to this dream that I dreamed.read more.
Now behold, we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field and, behold, my sheaf stood up and it remained standing. Then behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf." Then his brothers said to him, "Will you really rule over us?" And {they hated him even more} on account of his dream and because of his words. Then he dreamed yet another dream and told it to his brothers. And he said, "Behold, I dreamed a dream again, and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me." And he told [it] to his father and to his brothers. And his father rebuked him and said to him, "What [is] this dream that you have dreamed? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the ground to you?" And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter [in mind]. Now his brothers went to pasture the flock of their father in Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers pasturing in Shechem? Come, let me send you to them." And he said, "Here I [am]." Then he said to him, "Go now, see {if it goes well for your brothers and for the flock}, then return word to me." And he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he arrived at Shechem. And a man found him, and behold, he was wandering about in a field. And the man asked him, "What do you seek?" And he said, "I am seeking my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are pasturing." And the man said, "They have moved on from here, for I heard [them] saying, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" Then Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan. And they saw him from a distance. And before he drew near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. And each said to his brothers, "Look, this master of dreams is coming. Now then, come, let us kill him and throw him in one of the pits. Then we will say a wild animal devoured him. Then we will see what his dreams become." And Reuben heard [it] and delivered him from their hand and said, "We must not take his life." And Reuben said to them, "You must not shed blood. Throw him into this pit that [is] in the desert, but do not lay a hand on him"--so that he might rescue him from their hand to return him to his father. And it happened [that] as Joseph came to his brothers they stripped Joseph of his robe, the robe with long sleeves, that [was] upon him. And they took him and threw him into the pit (the pit [was] empty; there was no water in it). Then they sat down to eat [some] food. And they lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead. And their camels were carrying aromatic gum and balm and spices {on the way} to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit [is there] if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, but our hand shall not be against him, for he [is] our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers agreed. Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and brought [him] up from the pit, and they sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty [pieces of] silver. And they brought Joseph to Egypt. Then Reuben returned to the pit and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit. And he tore his clothes. And he returned to his brothers and said, "The boy {is gone}! Now I, {what can I do}?" Then they took the robe of Joseph and slaughtered a goat, and dipped the robe in the blood. Then they sent the robe with long sleeves and they brought [it] to their father and said, "We found this; please examine [it]. [Is] it the robe of your son or not?" And he recognized it and said, "The robe of my son! A wild animal has devoured him! Joseph [is] surely torn to pieces!" And Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and daughters tried to console him, but he refused to be consoled. And he said, "No, I shall go down to my son, to Sheol, mourning." And his father wept for him.

" 'You shall not do injustice in judgment; {you shall not show partiality to the powerless}; you shall not give preference {to the powerful}; you shall judge your fellow citizen with justice.

I testify solemnly before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels that you observe these [things] without prejudice, doing nothing according to partiality.

And he said to them, "You know that it is forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or to approach a foreigner. And to me God has shown [that] I should call no man common or unclean. Therefore--and without raising any objection--I came [when I] was sent for. So I ask for what reason you sent for me." And Cornelius said, "{Four days ago at this hour}, [the] ninth, I was praying in my house. And behold, a man in shining clothing stood before meread more.
and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your charitable deeds have been remembered before God. Therefore send to Joppa and summon Simon who is also called Peter. This man is staying as a guest in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. Therefore I sent for you at once, and you {were kind enough to come}. So now we all are present before God to hear all the things that have been commanded to you by the Lord." So Peter opened [his] mouth [and] said, "In truth I understand that God is not one who shows partiality, but in every nation the one who fears him and who does what is right is acceptable to him.

And after some days, Paul said to Barnabas, "Come then,[let us] return [and] visit the brothers in every town in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, [to see] how they are [doing]." Now Barnabas wanted to take John who was called Mark along also, but Paul held the opinion they should not take this one along, who departed from them in Pamphylia and did not accompany them in the work.read more.
And a sharp disagreement took place, so that they separated from one another. And Barnabas took along Mark [and] sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas [and] departed, [after] being commended to the grace of the Lord by the brothers.

But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I also may be encouraged [when I] know {your circumstances}. For I have no one like-minded who [will] sincerely be concerned about {your circumstances}. For they all seek {their own interests}, not those of Jesus Christ.read more.
But you know his proven character, that like a child with a father he served with me for the gospel.

But [it is] not as if the word of God had failed. For not all those [who are descended] from Israel [are truly] Israel, nor [are they] all children because they are descendants of Abraham, but "In Isaac will your descendants be named." That is, [it is] not the children {by human descent} [who are] children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants.read more.
For the statement of the promise [is] this: "At this time I will return and {Sarah will have} a son." And not only [this], but also [when] Rebecca conceived children by one [man], Isaac our father-- for [although they] had not yet been born, or done anything good or evil, in order that the purpose of God according to election might remain, not by works but by the one who calls--it was said to her, "The older will serve the younger," just as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." What then shall we say? [There is] no injustice with God, [is there]? May it never be! For to Moses he says, "I will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I have compassion." Consequently therefore, {it does not depend on the} one who wills or on the one who runs, but on God who shows mercy. For the scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very [reason] I have raised you up, so that I may demonstrate my power in you, and so that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Consequently therefore, he has mercy on whomever he wishes, and he hardens whomever he wishes. Therefore you will say to me, "Why then does he still find fault? For who has resisted his will? On the contrary, O man, who are you who answers back to God? Will what is molded say to the one who molded [it], "Why did you make me like this"? Or does the potter not have authority over the clay, to make from the same lump a vessel that [is] for {honorable use} and [one] that [is] for {ordinary use}? And [what] if God, wanting to demonstrate his wrath and to make known his power, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And [he did so] in order that he could make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy that he prepared beforehand for glory, us whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

You must not {be partial} {in your judgment}; hear [out] the small [person] as [also] the great [person]; {do not be intimidated by any person}, because the judgment [is] God's; and the case that is too difficult for you, bring [it] to me, and I will hear it [out].'

Rebekah said to Jacob her son, "Look, I heard your father speaking to Esau your brother saying, 'Bring wild game to me and prepare tasty food so I can eat [it] and bless you before Yahweh before my death.' So now, my son, listen to my voice, to what I command you.read more.
Go to the flock and take two good young goats from it for me, and I will prepare them [as] tasty food for your father, just as he likes. Then you must take it to your father and he will eat [it] so that he may bless you before his death." Then Jacob said to his mother, "Behold, Esau my brother [is] a hairy man, but I [am] a smooth man. Perhaps my father will feel me and I will be in his eyes [as] a mocker, and he will bring upon me a curse and not a blessing." Then his mother said to him, "Your curse be upon me, my son, only listen to my voice--go and get [them] for me." So he went and took [them], and brought [them] to his mother, and his mother prepared tasty food as his father liked. Then Rebekah took [some of] her older son Esau's best garments that [were] with her in the house, and she put [them] on Jacob her younger son. And she put the skins of the young goats over his hands and over the smooth [part of] his neck. And she put the tasty food and the bread that she had made into the hand of Jacob, her son.

And he put the female slaves and their children first, then Leah and her children next, then Rachel with Joseph last.

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, for he [was] a son of his old age. And he made a robe with long sleeves for him.

But Jacob did not send Benjamin, the brother of Joseph, for {he feared harm would come to him}.

{Please let me not show partiality to anyone}, and let me not show flattery to human beings, for I do not know [how] {to flatter}, [else] my Maker would {soon} put an end to me.

You [will be] in the right, Yahweh, when I complain to you. Even so, let me speak [my] claims with you. Why does [the] way of [the] wicked succeed? All those who deal treacherously with treachery are at ease.

Yet you said, 'The way of the Lord is not fair!' I will judge you, house of Israel, each [person] according to his ways."

Now it happened that when the days were approaching {for him to be taken up}, he set [his] face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers before {him}, and they went [and] entered into a village of the Samaritans in order to prepare for him. And they did not welcome him because {he was determined to go} to Jerusalem.read more.
Now [when] the disciples James and John saw [it], they said, "Lord, do you want us to call fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" But he turned around [and] rebuked them, and they proceeded to another village.

Now I have applied these things, brothers, to myself and Apollos for your sake, in order that in us you may learn not [to go] beyond what is written, lest someone be inflated with pride on behalf of one [person] against the other.

{Please let me not show partiality to anyone}, and let me not show flattery to human beings,