31 Bible Verses about Shrewdness

"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

So the master commended the dishonest steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

He also said to his disciples: "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.' The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.read more.
I have decided what to do, so that people may receive me into their houses when I am put out of the stewardship.' So he called in each one of his master's debtors, and he said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

Every one who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it was well built.

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.

And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.

But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the money for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. And he said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"read more.
They said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." When they heard it, they marveled; and they left him and went away.

Should we pay them, or should we not?" But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, "Why do you put me to the test? Bring me a denarius, and let me look at it." And they brought one. And he said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said to him, "Caesar's." Jesus said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they were amazed at him.

But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?" They said, "Caesar's." He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."read more.
And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him by what he said. But marveling at his answer they were silent.

But as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken."

But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord 'the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.' Now he is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to him."

And when they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her."

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all its region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

And he said to her, "Let the children first be fed, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." But she answered him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Then he said to her, "For this saying you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter."

And he answered, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." "Yes, Lord," she said, "yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

and said, "You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not stop making crooked the straight ways of the Lord?

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.

For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will frustrate."

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness"; and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."

But I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

in order that Satan might gain no advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will be according to their deeds.

Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how to entangle him in his talk. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God in truth, and you care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men. Tell us, then, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"

Then they sent to him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch him in his words. When they came, they said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are true, and care about no man; for you do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?" But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, "Why do you put me to the test? Bring me a denarius, and let me look at it."

So they watched him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might catch him on what he said, in order to deliver him up to the power and authority of the governor. And they asked him, "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and you do not show partiality, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.

It was now two days before the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth, and kill him. But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."

Now the feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to kill him, for they feared the people.

But be that as it may, I did not burden you myself. Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery!