29 Bible Verses about Public Opinion

Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil: neither answer in a matter of plea that thou wouldest, to follow many, turn aside from the truth;

"Have I kept secret my sin, and hid mine iniquity as Adam did? For if I had feared any great multitude of people, or if I had been despised of the simple; Oh then should I have been afraid. Thus have I quietly spent my life, and not gone out at the door.

But the people said unto Saul, "Shall Jonathan die, which hath so mightily helped Israel? God forbid. As truly as the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground: for he hath wrought with God this day." And so the people delivered Jonathan, that he died not.

Then said Saul to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the mouth of the LORD, and thy words; because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.

At that feast, the deputy was wont to deliver unto the people a prisoner whom they would desire. He had then a notable prisoner called Barabbas. And when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, "Whether will ye that I give loose unto you: Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?"read more.
For he knew well, that for envy they had delivered him. When he was set down to give judgment, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have thou nothing to do with that just man, I have suffered many things this day in a dream about him." But the chief priests and the elders had persuaded the people, that they should ask Barabbas, and should destroy Jesus. Then the deputy answered and said unto them, "Whether of the twain will ye that I let loose unto you?" And they said, "Barabbas." Pilate said unto them, "What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called Christ?" They all said to him, "Let him be crucified." Then said the deputy, "What evil hath he done?" And they cried the more saying, "Let him be crucified." When Pilate saw that he prevailed nothing, but that more business was made, he took water and washed his hands before the people saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this righteous person: see ye thereto." Then answered all the people, and said, "His blood be on us, and on our children." Then let he Barabbas loose unto them, and scourged Jesus, and delivered him to be crucified.

and because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further, and took Peter also. Then were the days of sweetbread.

"Thus speaketh the LORD of Hosts, and sayeth, 'This people doth say: The time is not yet come to build up the LORD's house.'" Then spake the LORD by the Prophet Haggai, and said, "Ye yourselves can find time to dwell in sealed houses: and shall this house lie waste?read more.
Consider now your own ways in your hearts, sayeth the LORD of Hosts. Ye sow much, but ye bring little in; Ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled; ye deck yourselves, but ye are not warm; and he that earneth any wage, putteth it in a broken purse. Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts: Consider your own ways in your hearts, get you up to the mountain, fetch wood, and build up the house: that it may be acceptable unto me, and that I may show mine honour, sayeth the LORD. Ye looked for much, and lo it is come to little: and though ye bring it home, yet do I blow it away. And why so, sayeth the LORD of Hosts? Even because that my house lieth so waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Wherefore the heaven is forbidden to give you any dew, and the earth is forbidden to give you increase. I have called for a drought, both upon the land and upon the mountains, upon corn, upon wine, and upon oil, upon everything that the ground bringeth forth, upon men and upon cattle, yea and upon all handy labour."

And then we departed from Horeb and walked through all that great and terrible wilderness, as ye have seen along by the way that leadeth unto the hills of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us, and came to Kadesh Barnea. And there I said unto you, 'Ye are come unto the hills of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto us. Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee. Go up and conquer it, as the LORD God of thy fathers sayeth unto thee: fear not, neither be discouraged.'read more.
And then ye came unto me every one and said, 'Let us send men before us, to search us out the land and to bring us word again, both what way we shall go up by, and unto what cities we shall come.' And the saying pleased me well, and I took twelve men of you; of every tribe, one. And they departed and went up into the high country and came unto the river Eshcol, and searched it out, and took of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down unto us and brought us word again, and said, 'It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us.' Notwithstanding, ye would not consent to go up, but were disobedient unto the mouth of the LORD your God, and murmured in your tents and said, 'Because the LORD hateth us, therefore he hath brought us out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites and to destroy us. How shall we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying the people is greater and taller than we, and the cities are great and walled even up to heaven, and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.' And I said unto you, 'Dread not, nor be afraid of them: The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did unto you in Egypt before your eyes and in the wilderness: as thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee as a man should bear his son, throughout all the way which ye have gone, until ye came unto this place.' And yet for all this saying ye did not believe the LORD your God, which goeth the way before you to search you out a place to pitch your tents in; in fire by night - that ye might see what way to go - and in a cloud by day. And the LORD heard the voice of your words and was wroth and swore saying, 'There shall not one of these men of this froward generation see that good land which I sware to give unto your fathers, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him I will give the land which he hath walked in and to his children, because he hath continually followed the LORD.' Likewise the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, 'Thou also shalt not go in thither. But Joshua the son of Nun which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither. Bold him therefore, for he shall divide it unto Israel. Moreover, your children, which ye said should be a prey; and your sons, which know neither good nor bad this day; they shall go in thither and unto them I will give it, and they shall enjoy it. But as for you, turn back and take your journey into the wilderness: even the way to the reed sea.'

Then all the elders of Israel gathered them together and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, "Behold, thou art old and thy sons follow not thy ways. Now, therefore, make us a king to judge us, as all other nations have." But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.read more.
And the LORD said unto Samuel, "Hear the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee. For they have not cast thee away, but me: that I should not reign over them. And as they have ever done - since I brought them out of Egypt unto this day, and have forsaken me and served other gods - even so do they unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet, testify unto them and show them the duty of the king that shall reign over them."

And Elijah came unto all the people and said, "Why halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be very God, follow him: or if Baal be he, follow him." And the people answered him not one word.

If ye be the people of the LORD, then hearken unto his word: Am I then become a wilderness unto the people of Israel? Or a land that hath no light? Wherefore sayeth my people then, 'We are lords; and we will come no more unto thee'? Doth a maiden forget her raiment, or a bride her stomacher? But as for my people, they have forgotten me for days innumerable. Why boastest thou thy ways so highly, to obtain favour therethrough, when thou hast yet stained them with blasphemies?read more.
Upon thy wings is found the blood of poor and innocent people; and that not in corners and holes only, but openly in all these places. Yet darest thou say, 'I am guiltless: Tush, his wrath cannot come upon me.' Behold, I will reason with thee because thou darest say, 'I have not offended.'

And the priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah preach these words in the house of the LORD. Now when he had spoken out all the words that the LORD commanded him to preach unto all the people, then the priests, the prophets and all the people took hold upon him, and said, "Thou shalt die. How darest thou be so bold, as to say in the name of the LORD, 'It shall happen to this house as it did unto Shiloh? And this city shall be so waste, that no man shall dwell therein?'"read more.
And when all the people were gathered about Jeremiah in the house of the LORD, the princes of Judah heard of this rumor, and they came soon out of the king's Palace into the house of the LORD, and sat them down before the new door of the LORD. Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the rulers and to all the people, these words, "This man is worthy to die, for he hath preached against this city, as ye yourselves have heard with your ears." Then said Jeremiah unto the rulers and to all the people, "The LORD hath sent me to preach against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard. Therefore amend your ways, and your advisements, and be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God: so shall the LORD repent of the plague, that he had devised against you. Now as for me: I am in your hands. Do with me, as ye think expedient and good. But this shall ye know: if ye put me to death, ye shall make yourselves, this city and all the inhabiters thereof, guilty of innocent blood. For this is of a truth: that the LORD hath sent me unto you, to speak all these words in your ears." Then said the rulers and the people unto the priests and prophets, "This man may not be condemned to death, for he hath preached unto us in the name of the LORD our God."

And the LORD heard the voice of your words when ye spake unto me, and he said unto me, 'I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoke unto thee, they have well said all that they have said. Oh that they had such a heart with them to fear me and keep all my commandments always, that it might go well with them and with their children forever.

But Joshua said unto the people, "Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is a holy God and cannot bear your transgression and sin. But when ye have forsaken the LORD and have served strange gods, he will turn and do you evil and consume you, after that he hath done you good." And the people answered Joshua, "Nay, but we will serve the LORD."read more.
Then Joshua said unto the folk, "Ye are witnesses unto yourselves, that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him." And they said, "We are witnesses." "Then put away," said he, "the strange gods which are among you, and bow your hearts unto the LORD God of Israel." And the people answered Joshua, "The LORD our God we will serve and his voice we will obey."

When Jesus came into the coasts of the city which is called Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples saying, "Whom do men say that I, the son of man, am?" They said, "Some say that thou art John Baptist, some Elijah, some Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." He said unto them, "But whom say ye that I am?"read more.
Simon Peter answered, and said, "Thou art Christ, the son of the living God." And Jesus answered, and said to him, "Happy art thou, Simon the son of Jonas, for flesh and blood hath not opened unto thee that, but my father which is in heaven.

And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns that belong to the city called Caesarea Philippi, and by the way he asked his disciples saying, "Whom do men say that I am?" And they answered, "Some say that thou art John Baptist: some, say Elijah, and some, one of the prophets." And he said unto them, "But whom say ye that I am?" Peter answered and said unto him, "Thou art very Christ."

And it fortuned, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him, and he asked them saying, "Who say the people that I am?" They answered and said, "John Baptist. Some say Elijah. And some say, one of the old prophets is risen again." And he said unto them, "Who say ye that I am?" Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ of God."

Many of the people, when they heard this saying said, "Of a truth, this is a Prophet." Others said, "This is Christ." Some said, "Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Saith not the scripture that Christ shall come of the seed of David: and out of the town of Bethlehem where David was?"read more.
So was there dissension among the people about him.

"Suppose ye that I am come to send peace on earth? I tell you, nay: but rather debate.

And much murmuring was there of him among the people. Some said, "He is good." Others said, "Nay, but he deceiveth the people."

Then said some of the Pharisees, "This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the Sabbath day." Others said, "How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles?" And there was strife among them.

And there was a dissension among the Jews for these sayings,

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, and said unto his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen again from death, and therefore are such miracles wrought by him." For Herod had taken John and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife.read more.
For John said unto him, "It is not lawful for thee to have her." And when he would have put him to death, he feared the people, because they counted him as a prophet.

Then went the ruler of the temple with ministers, and brought them without violence. For they feared the people lest they should have been stoned.

Then the deputy answered and said unto them, "Whether of the twain will ye that I let loose unto you?" And they said, "Barabbas." Pilate said unto them, "What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called Christ?" They all said to him, "Let him be crucified." Then said the deputy, "What evil hath he done?" And they cried the more saying, "Let him be crucified."read more.
When Pilate saw that he prevailed nothing, but that more business was made, he took water and washed his hands before the people saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this righteous person: see ye thereto." Then answered all the people, and said, "His blood be on us, and on our children." Then let he Barabbas loose unto them, and scourged Jesus, and delivered him to be crucified.

In that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the congregation. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword: and because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further, and took Peter also. Then were the days of sweetbread.

And when he would have put him to death, he feared the people, because they counted him as a prophet.

Howbeit, no man spake openly of him, for fear of the Jews.

So was there dissension among the people about him.