53 Bible Verses about Persecution

They therefore went away from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame in behalf of that name;

Blessed are ye, when men revile you, and persecute you, and say every thing that is bad against you, falsely, for my sake.

I came to cast fire upon the earth; and what do I wish, if it hath been already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how is my soul troubled, till it be accomplished! Think ye that I came to give peace in the earth? I tell you, nay, but rather division. read more.
For from this time forth five in one house will be divided, three against two, and two against three. They will be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; the motherinlaw against her daughterinlaw, and the daughterinlaw against her motherinlaw.

Blessed are ye, when men revile you, and persecute you, and say every thing that is bad against you, falsely, for my sake.

Blessed are ye, when men revile you, and persecute you, and say every thing that is bad against you, falsely, for my sake.

They therefore went away from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame in behalf of that name;

Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil; the Lord will reward him according to his works;

And about that time there arose no small tumult concerning the faith. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, made silver shrines of Diana, and brought no small gain to the craftsmen. And having called them together, with the workmen of like occupation, he said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth; read more.
and ye see and hear, that this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, not only of Ephesus, but of almost all Asia, saying, that those are not gods, which are made with hands. And there is not only danger that this branch of our business will come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana will be despised, and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship. And hearing this they became full of wrath, and kept crying out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians! And the city was filled with confusion; and they rushed with one accord into the theatre, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Pauls companions in travel. And when Paul wished to go in to the people, the disciples would not suffer him. And some also of the Asiarchs, who were his friends, sent to him, and entreated him not to venture into the theatre. Some therefore were crying one thing, and some another; for the assembly was in confusion, and the greater part knew not wherefore they had come together. And they brought forward Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward; and Alexander beckoned with his hand, desiring to make his defence to the people. But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice for about two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians! But when the Recorder had quieted the multitude, he said, Men of Ephesus, who is there among men that doth not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the great Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter? Since then these things cannot be denied, ye ought to be quiet, and do nothing rashly. For ye have brought hither these men, who are neither robbers of temples, nor blasphemers of your goddess. If then Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against any one, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls; let them bring their charges against each other. But if ye ask for any thing further, it shall be determined in the lawful assembly. For we are in danger of being called to answer concerning this days riot, there being no ground on which we shall be able to give an account of this concourse. And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.

For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our distress which came upon us in Asia, that it was exceedingly heavy upon us beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life;

But when the Jews of Thessalonica knew that at Beroea, too, the word of God was preached by Paul, they came hither also, and stirred up the multitudes. And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go to the sea; but Silas and Timothy remained there. And they who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and having received a commandment to Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.

Yea, and all that desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles as lowest, as men sentenced to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christs sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are in honor, but we are despised. Even to this very hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace, read more.
and labor, working with our own hands; being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure it; being slandered, we exhort; we have become as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.

And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith to him, Teacher, see! what stones, and what buildings! And Jesus said to him, Seest thou these great buildings? There will not be left one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down. And as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, read more.
Tell us, when will these things be? and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished? And Jesus began to say to them, See that no one deceive you. Many will come in my name, saying, I am He; and will deceive many. And when ye hear of wars, and rumors of wars, be not troubled; they must come to pass; but not yet is the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in divers places; there will be famines. These things are the beginning of travailpains. But do ye take heed to yourselves; they will deliver you up to councils, and ye will be taken into synagogues and beaten; and ye will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them. And the glad tidings must first be published to all the nations. And when they lead you away to deliver you up, be not anxious beforehand as to what ye shall speak; but whatever shall be given you in that hour, that speak; for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child; and children will rise up against parents, and put them to death. And ye will be hated by all on account of my name. But he that endureth to the end will be saved.

Lo! I send you forth as sheep into the midst of wolves. Be therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men. For they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; and ye will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, that ye may bear testimony to them and to the gentiles. read more.
But when they deliver you up, be not anxious as to how or What ye shall speak; for it will be given you in that hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you. And brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child; and children will rise up against their parent, and put them to death; and ye will be hated by all on account of my name. But he that endureth to the end will be saved. And when they persecute you in one city, flee to another. For truly do I say to you, Ye will not have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of man hath come. A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple to be as his teacher, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they so call those of his household!

And Jesus went out, and was going from the temple; and his disciples came to him, to show him the buildings of the temple. And he answering said to them, See ye not all these? Truly do I say to you, There will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down. And as he was sitting upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things be? and what will be the signs of thy coming, and of the end of the world? read more.
And Jesus answering said to them, See that no one deceive you. For many will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and will deceive many. And ye are to hear of wars, and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled; for these things must come to pass; but not yet is the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines and earthquakes in divers places. But all these things are the beginning of travailpains. Then will they deliver you up to distress, and will kill you; and ye will be hated by all nations on account of my name. And then will many fall away; and will deliver up one another, and will hate one another.

Fear not the things which thou art about to suffer. Behold, now, the Devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye will have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.

Then will they deliver you up to distress, and will kill you; and ye will be hated by all nations on account of my name.

But beware of men. For they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

But before all these things they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues, and into prisons, and bringing you before kings and governors on account of my name.

Remember what I said to you, A servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my words, they will keep yours also.

And having found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, and Priscilla his wife, (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome,) he came to them;

And Herod also with his guard of soldiers set him at nought and mocked him, and having arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, sent him back to Pilate.

And on this account the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did these things on the sabbath.

And they rose up, and forced him out of the city and took him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, to cast him down headlong;

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for he would not walk in Judaea, because the Jews sought to kill him.

I know that ye are Abrahams offspring; but ye seek to kill me, because my word is not received within you.

who delivered us from such peril of death, and is delivering; in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us,

persecutions, sufferings; what things came upon me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord delivered me.

And on hearing it, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art he that made heaven and earth and sea, and all things that are in them; who by the mouth of thy servant David said, "Why did the heathen rage, and the peoples meditate vain things? The kings of the earth came up, and the rulers assembled together, against the Lord, and against his Anointed." read more.
For in truth against thy holy servant Jesus, whom thou didst anoint, did both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the gentiles, and the peoples of Israel, assemble in this city,

But Saul, yet breathing out threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any who were of this way of belief, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus; and suddenly there shone around a him a light from heaven; read more.
and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And he answered, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit he cleanseth, that it may bear more fruit. Ye are clean already, by reason of the word which I have spoken to you. read more.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, if it abide not in the vine, so neither can ye, unless ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit; for apart from me ye can do nothing. If any one abideth not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather it, and cast it into the fire, and it is burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever ye will, and it shall be done for you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and ye will become my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye will abide in my love, even as I have kept my Fathers commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things which I have heard from my Father, I have made known to you. Ye did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever ye ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. This I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hateth you, ye know that it hath hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love its own; but because ye are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember what I said to you, A servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my words, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do to you on account of my name, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. He that hateth me, hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no other man hath done, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word may be fulfilled that is written in their Law: "They hated me without a cause."

The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. And on this account the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did these things on the sabbath. But he answered them, My Father is working up to this time, and I work. read more.
On this account the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath, but also said that God was his own Father, making himself equal with God.

But it came to pass, as I was on my way, and approaching Damascus, that about noon there suddenly shone around me a great light from heaven; and I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom thou persecutest.

And when they had gone, lo! an angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and remain there until I speak to thee; for Herod will seek the child, to destroy him.

And when they persecute you in one city, flee to another. For truly do I say to you, Ye will not have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of man hath come.

Then the Pharisees went out, and consulted together against him, how they might destroy him. But Jesus, knowing it, withdrew from thence; and many followed him; and he healed them all,

If with the views of men I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead rise not, "let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

I John, your brother, and companion in the affliction and kingdom and endurance in Jesus, was in the isle that is called Patmos, on account of the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus.

And they laid hands upon them, and put them in prison until the next day; for it was now evening. Many however of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men became five thousand. And it came to pass on the next day, that their rulers and elders and scribes, read more.
and Annas the highpriest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the highpriest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, did ye do this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, Rulers of the people, and elders of Israel! If we are this day examined in respect to a good deed done to a cripple, by what means he hath been restored, be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead,by him doth this man stand here before you sound. This is the stone which was set at nought by you the builders, which is become a cornerstone. And there is salvation in no other; for there is not another name under heaven, that hath been given among men, by which we must be saved. And when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and common men, they wondered; and they recognized them as having been with Jesus. And seeing the man that had been cured standing with them, they could say nothing in reply. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a remarkable sign hath been wrought by them is manifest to all that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. But that it spread no further among the people, let us strictly forbid them with threats to speak any longer in this name to any one. And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all, nor teach, in the name of Jesus.

and laid hands on the apostles, and put them in the public prison. But an angel of the Lord in the night opened the prisondoors, and brought them forth and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. read more.
And hearing this, they went into the temple at daybreak and taught. But the highpriest and they that were with him came and called together the council, and all the elders of the sons of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. But the officers that came did not find them in the prison; and they returned and brought word, saying, The prison we found shut in all security and the keepers standing at the doors: but when we opened them, we found no one within. And when the priest, and the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these words, they were at a loss concerning them, to what this would come. But one came and brought them word, Lo! the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people. Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence, that they might not be stoned; for they feared the people. And having brought them, they set them before the council. And the highpriest questioned them, saying, We strictly commanded you not to teach in this name, and lo! ye have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and mean to bring this mans blood upon us. But Peter and the apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew by hanging him on a cross; him hath God exalted by his right hand, as a Leader and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit which God hath given to those who obey him. But when they heard this, they were filled with rage, and were resolving to kill them. But there stood up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, in high esteem with all the people, and commanded to put the men forth a little while, and said to them [of the council], Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves as to what ye are about to do in respect to these men. For before these days arose Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain, and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and came to nought. After this man arose Judas the Galilaean, in the days of the registering, and drew people away after him; he also perished, and all, as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. And now I say to you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone; for if this design or this work be of men, it will come to nought; but if it be of God, ye will not be able to overthrow them; lest haply ye be found also fighting against God. And they were persuaded by him; and having called the apostles, they beat them, and commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them. They therefore went away from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame in behalf of that name; and every day, in the temple, and in houses, they ceased not to teach, and to publish the glad tidings concerning Jesus the Christ.

Now about that time, Herod the king laid his hands upon certain of the church, to oppress them. And he slew James, the brother of John, with the sword. And seeing that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to apprehend Peter also; (then were the days of unleavened bread;) read more.
and he seized him and put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after the passover to bring him forth to the people. Peter therefore was kept guarded in prison; but earnest prayer was made by the church to God in his behalf. And when Herod was about to bring him forth, on that night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and keepers before the door were guarding the prison. And lo! an angel of the Lord came to him, and a light shone in the room; and he smote Peter on the side, and roused him, saying, Rise up quickly. And his chains fell from his hands. And the angel said to him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals; and he did so. And he saith to him, Throw thy garment round thee, and follow me. And he went out, and followed; and he knew not that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he saw a vision. And when they had passed the first, and the second guard, they came to the iron gate that leadeth to the city, which opened to them of itself; and they went out and passed on through one street, and the angel immediately departed from him. And when Peter had come to himself, he said, Now I know certainly, that the Lord hath sent forth his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews. And when he understood the matter, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, surnamed Mark, where many were gathered together, and praying. And as he knocked at the door of the gate, a maidservant came to listen, named Rhoda; and recognizing Peters voice, she opened not the gate for gladness; but ran in, and told them that Peter was standing before the gate. And they said to her, Thou art mad. But she positively affirmed that it was even so. Then they said, It is his angel. But Peter continued knocking; and opening the door, they saw him, and were amazed. But beckoning to them with his hand to be silent, he related how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go and tell these things to James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went to another place. And when it was day, there was no small commotion among the soldiers, as to what had become of Peter. And Herod, when he had sought for him and found him not, examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be led away [to execution]. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and there abode.

But before all these things they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues, and into prisons, and bringing you before kings and governors on account of my name.

Remember what I said to you, A servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my words, they will keep yours also.

who will not receive a hundredfold in the time that now is, houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come everlasting life.

Now they who were scattered abroad by the persecution that arose on account of Stephen traveled as far as Phenicia, and Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to none but Jews. But some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Greeks, publishing the glad tidings of the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them; and a great number believed, and turned to the Lord.

And Saul was consenting to his death. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and all were scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Now those that had been scattered abroad went through the country preaching the word.

But I wish you to know, brethren, that things with me have resulted in the furtherance of the gospel; so that my bonds have become known in connection with Christ in the whole camp of the imperial guards, and to all the rest; and that the great part of the brethren, made confident in the Lord by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, blameless.

though formerly I was a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and a doer of outrage; but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly, in unbelief;

And on this account the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did these things on the sabbath.

who both killed the Lord Jesus, and the prophets, and drove us out, and please not God, and set themselves against all men,

since it will be just with God to repay distress to them that distress you,

Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men revile you, and persecute you, and say every thing that is bad against you, falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven; for so did they persecute the prophets that were before you.

Blessed are ye when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of man. Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy; for lo! your reward is great in heaven; for thus their fathers did to the prophets.

And they that dwell upon the earth will rejoice over them, and make merry, and will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwelt on the earth.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven; for so did they persecute the prophets that were before you.

but, in so far as ye share in Christs sufferings, rejoice; that also at the manifestation of his glory ye may rejoice with exceeding joy.

that on you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Barachiah, whom ye slew, between the temple and the altar.

not as Cain was of the Evil One, and slew his brother. And wherefore did he slay him? Because his own works were evil, and his brothers righteous.

and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And he answered, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

But the Jews stirred up the women of rank who worshipped God, and the chief men of the city, and raised a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them from their borders.

I indeed thought with myself that I ought to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus the Nazarene. Which I also did in Jerusalem; and many of the saints did I myself shut up in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them often in all the synagogues, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I pursued them even to foreign cities.

And Saul was consenting to his death. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and all were scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

For ye have heard of my conduct formerly in Judaism; that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and was destroying it,

But Saul, yet breathing out threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any who were of this way of belief, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus; and suddenly there shone around a him a light from heaven; read more.
and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And he answered, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men that journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no one. And Saul arose from the earth; but when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing; and they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias, and to him the Lord said in a vision, Ananias! And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said to him, Arise, and go into the street called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus; for lo! he prayeth, and hath seen a man, named Ananias, coming in and putting his hand on him, that he might receive sight. But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how great evils he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem. And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.

Blessed are ye when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of man.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

If I had not done among them the works which no other man hath done, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father.

Remember what I said to you, A servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my words, they will keep yours also.

And on this account the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did these things on the sabbath.

that on you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Barachiah, whom ye slew, between the temple and the altar.

and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for it is not all that have faith.

and labor, working with our own hands; being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure it;

When therefore it was evening on that day, which was the first day of the week, and the doors where the disciples were had been shut for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, Peace be to you!

They answered and said to him, Thou wast wholly born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.

This his parents said, because they feared the Jews. For the Jews had already agreed, that if any one should acknowledge him as the Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.

persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

Hear another parable. There was a householder, who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and dug in it a winepress, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went abroad. And when the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive his fruits. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. read more.
Again he sent other servants more than the first; and they dealt with them in the same manner. And afterward he sent to them his son, saying, They will respect my son. But the husbandmen, when they saw the son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and get his inheritance. And they took him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

Yea, and all that desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

But as for me, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then hath the cross ceased to be a stumblingblock.

As many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, these are constraining you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.

But as at that time he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born through the Spirit, so it is now.

and others had trial of mockings and scourgings, and also of bonds and imprisonment;

but, having no root within him, endureth only for a time; and when tribulation or persecution ariseth on account of the word, he immediately falleth away.

Then Jesus saith to him, Put back thy sword into its place; for all they that take the sword will perish by the sword.

But I say to you, Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you;

Wherefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in welldoing, as to a faithful Creator.

but if as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this name.

But some of those who belonged to the socalled synagogue of the Freedmen, and of the Cyrenaeans and Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, arose and disputed with Stephen; and they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Then they suborned men, who said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and God. read more.
And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and seized him, and brought him to the council, and set up false witnesses, who said, This man ceaseth not to speak words against the holy place, and the Law. For we have heard him say, This Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place, and change the customs which Moses delivered to us. And all that sat in the council, looking steadily upon him, saw his face like the face of an angel.

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Bless those who persecute you; bless, and curse not.

And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants more than the first; and they dealt with them in the same manner.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ for us? Shall affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword?

But the Jews stirred up the women of rank who worshipped God, and the chief men of the city, and raised a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them from their borders.

and when they had laid on them many stripes, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely;

For Herod had seized John, and bound him, and put him in prison, on account of Herodias, his brother Philips wife. For John said to him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. And wishing to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they regarded him as a prophet. read more.
But when Herods birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod; whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. And she, being set on by her mother, saith, Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist. And the king was sorry; but on account of his oaths, and of those at table with him, he ordered it to be given, and sent and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought on a platter, and given to the damsel; and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they slew those who foretold the coming of the righteous one, of whom ye have now become the betrayers and murderers;

and laid hands on the apostles, and put them in the public prison.

Now about that time, Herod the king laid his hands upon certain of the church, to oppress them.

And these things will they do, because they neither know the Father nor me.

And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These things saith the first and the last, who was dead, and lived again: I know thy affliction and poverty, (but thou art rich,) and the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews, and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Fear not the things which thou art about to suffer. Behold, now, the Devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye will have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.

But the priests consulted together that they might put Lazarus also to death;

Know that the brother Timothy hath been set at liberty, with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.

And I persecuted this way [of belief] even to death, binding and putting into prisons both men and women,

And Saul was consenting to his death. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and all were scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

And they compel one Simon a Cyrenaean, who was passing by, coming from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.

I know where thou dwellest, where the throne of Satan is; and thou holdest fast my name, and didst not deny my faith, even in the days in which Antipas was my witness, my faithful one, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

And he slew James, the brother of John, with the sword.

I John, your brother, and companion in the affliction and kingdom and endurance in Jesus, was in the isle that is called Patmos, on account of the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus.

But not a hair of your head will be lost.

They therefore went away from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame in behalf of that name;

But Paul, perceiving one part to be Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, cried aloud in the council, Brethren! I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees; for the hope of the resurrection of the dead I am now tried.

for it is in thy power to ascertain that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem to worship. And neither in the temple did they find me disputing with any one, or stirring up a tumult of the people, nor in the synagogues, nor in the city; nor can they prove the things of which they now accuse me. read more.
But this I acknowledge to thee, that according to the way [of belief] which they call a sect, so do I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and by the Prophets; having a hope in God, which they themselves also entertain, that there will be a resurrection both of the righteous and the unrighteous.

Blessed are ye, when men revile you, and persecute you, and say every thing that is bad against you, falsely, for my sake.

Fear not the things which thou art about to suffer. Behold, now, the Devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye will have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.

Then will they deliver you up to distress, and will kill you; and ye will be hated by all nations on account of my name.

But beware of men. For they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

But before all these things they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues, and into prisons, and bringing you before kings and governors on account of my name.

Remember what I said to you, A servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my words, they will keep yours also.

And Herod also with his guard of soldiers set him at nought and mocked him, and having arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, sent him back to Pilate.

And on this account the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did these things on the sabbath.

And they rose up, and forced him out of the city and took him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, to cast him down headlong;

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for he would not walk in Judaea, because the Jews sought to kill him.

I know that ye are Abrahams offspring; but ye seek to kill me, because my word is not received within you.

Blessed are ye, when men revile you, and persecute you, and say every thing that is bad against you, falsely, for my sake.