18 Bible Verses about Riots

But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, encompassed the house around, both young and old, all the people from every quarter. And they called to Lot, and said to him, Where are the men who came in to thee this night? Bring them out to us, that we may know them. And Lot went out to them to the door, and shut the door after him.read more.
And he said, I pray you, my brothers, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters who have not known a man. Let me, I pray you, bring them out to you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes. Only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shadow of my roof. And they said, Stand back. And they said, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will be a judge. Now we will deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed greatly upon the man, even Lot, and drew near to break the doo But the men put forth their hand, and brought Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. And they smote the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

Then the men of the city said to Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die, because he has broken down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the Asherah that was by it. And Joash said to all who stood against him, Will ye contend for Baal? Or will ye save him? He who will contend for him, let him be put to death while [it is] morning. If he be a god, let him contend for himself because he has brok

And it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold on him, saying, Thou shall surely die. Why have thou prophesied in the name of LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitant? And all the people were gathered to Jeremiah in the house of LORD. And when the rulers of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king's house to the house of LORD, and they sat in the entry of the new gate of LORD's [house].read more.
Then the priests and the prophets spoke to the rulers and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy of death, for he has prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.

And all in the synagogue were filled with rage, having heard these things. And having risen up, they thrust him outside of the city, and brought him as far as the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw him down headlong. But he, having passed through the midst of them, departed.

And about that time there developed no small stir about the Way. For a certain silversmith named Demetrius who makes silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little work to the craftsmen, to whom also (having assembled the workmen about such things) he said, Men, ye know that our prosperity is from this work.read more.
And ye see and hear, that not only at Ephesus, but almost in all Asia, this man Paul, having persuaded them, turned away a considerable multitude, saying that there are no gods made by hands. And not only is this our part liable to come into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Artemis is going to be regarded for nothing, and also her magnificence be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship. And when they heard this, having become full of wrath, they cried out, saying, The great Artemis of Ephesians. And the whole city was filled with the confusion. And they rushed with one accord into the theatre, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, traveling companions of Paul. And when Paul wanted to enter in to the crowd, the disciples did not let him. And also some of the Asian officers, being their friends, having sent to him, implored him not to give himself into the theatre. Indeed therefore some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was confused, and most had not seen why they had come together. And they urged forward Alexander out of the multitude, having put him forward from the Jews. And Alexander having waved his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. But after recognizing that he was a Jew, one voice developed from them all, crying out for about two hours, The great Artemis of Ephesians.

in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hungerings,

But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. Now the governor having answered, he said to them, Which of the two do ye want I would release to you? And they said, Barabbas. Pilate says to them, What then shall I do to Jesus who is called Christ? They all say to him, He should be crucified.read more.
And the governor said, For what evil has he done? But they cried out even more, saying, He should be crucified. And when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather an uproar was developing, after taking water, he washed his hands in front of the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man. See ye to it.

Now during a feast he released to them one prisoner, whomever they requested. And a man who was called Barabbas was with the rebels who were bound, men who had committed murder during the insurrection. And having cried aloud, the multitude began to ask as he was always doing for them.read more.
And Pilate answered them, saying, Do ye wish that I would release to you the king of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him up because of envy. But the chief priests incited the crowd, so that he would release Barabbas to them instead. And again having answered, Pilate said to them, What then do ye wish I would do to the man whom ye call the king of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him. And Pilate said to them, For what evil has he done? But they cried out even more, Crucify him. And Pilate, wanting to do what was sufficent for the crowd, released Barabbas to them. And he delivered Jesus, after scourging, so that he might be crucified.

And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. But some of those from the synagogue called Libertines, and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.read more.
Then they instigated men who said, We have heard him speaking blasphemous sayings against Moses and God. And they incited the people, and the elders, and the scholars. And after approaching, they seized him, and brought him to the council. And they put forward FALSE witnesses who said, This man does not cease speaking blasphemous sayings against the holy place, and the law. For we have heard him saying that this Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place, and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.

But the disobedient Jews having taken along certain evil men of the marketplaces, and having gathered a mob, were rioting the city. And having stood by the house of Jason, they sought to bring them out to the populace. And not having found them, they dragged Jason and some brothers to the city rulers, shouting, The men who have agitated the world, these are present here also, whom Jason has received. And all these men are acting against the decrees of Caesar, asserting another man to be king, Jesus.read more.
And they disturbed the multitude and the city rulers when they heard these things. And after taking bond from Jason and the other men, they released them.

And when the seven days were about to be completed, the Jews from Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people and threw hands on him, crying out, Men, Israelites, help. This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place. And besides he also brought Greeks into the temple, and has defiled this holy place. For they were men who saw Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, whom they supposed that Paul brought into the temple.read more.
And the whole city was moved, and there developed a running together of the people. And having taken Paul they dragged him out of the temple, and straightaway the doors were shut. And while seeking to kill him, a report went up to the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem has been stirred up. And immediately after taking soldiers and centurions, he ran down to them. And they, when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, stopped beating Paul. And the chief captain having come near, he seized him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains. And he inquired whoever he may be, and what it is he has been doing. And some among the crowd shouted out one thing, some another. And not being able to know the certainty because of the uproar, he commanded him to be carried into the fort. And it came to pass when on the steps (it happened for him to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd,

Then the chief priests, and the scholars, and the elders of the people, assembled together to the courtyard of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and they deliberated so that they might take Jesus by trickery, and kill him. But they said, Not during the feast, lest an uproar develop among people.

Now after two days was the Passover and the unleavened bread. And the chief priests and the scholars sought how, having take him with trickery, they might kill him, but they said, Not during the feast, lest there will be an uproar of the people.

And when the town clerk calmed the multitude, he says, Ephesian men, now who is the man who does not know the city of the Ephesians being temple-guardian of the great goddess Artemis, and of what fell from Zeus? Therefore these things being undeniable, ye ought to be restrained, and do nothing rash. For ye brought these men, who are neither sacrilegious nor blaspheming your goddess.read more.
Indeed therefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen with him, have a matter against any man, forums are brought, and there are proconsuls. Let them accuse each other. And if ye seek anything about other things, it will be decided in the assembly within law. For we are also in danger to be accused about the uproar today, there being no cause about which we can give account of this commotion. And having said these things, he dismissed the assembly.

For we have found this man a plague, who even instigates sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes, who also attempted to profane the temple, whom also we took, [This verse is not in the majority of the Greek manuscripts.]read more.
from whom thou will be able, having examined him, to learn about all these things of which we accuse him. And the Jews also agreed, claiming to have these things this way. And when the governor gestured to him to speak, Paul answered, Knowing for many years thou being a judge to this nation, I gladly make a defense of these things about myself, thou being able to learn that there are for me not more than twelve days from which I went up to worship in Jerusalem. And they found me neither in the temple disputing against any man, nor making a gang of a group, nor in the synagogues, nor in the city.

Let us walk decently as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in beddings and wantonness, not in strife and envy.

The night has advanced and the day has approached. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the weapons of light.

getting back a wage of unrighteousness. Men who consider soft living in the daytime to be pleasure, spots and blemishes reveling in their deceitfulness, feasting together with you,