30 Bible Verses about Shrewdness

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be wise like serpents and guileless like doves.

Well, the master praised the dishonest factor for looking ahead; for the children of this world look further ahead in dealing with their own generation than the children of Light. And I tell you, use mammon, dishonest as it is, to make friends for yourselves, so that when you die they may welcome you to the eternal abodes.

He also said to the disciples: "There was a rich man who had a factor, and this factor, he found, was accused of misapplying his property. So he summoned him and said, 'What is this I hear about you? Hand in your accounts; you cannot be factor any longer.' The factor said to himself, 'What am I to do, now that my master is taking the factorship away from me? I am too weak to dig, I am ashamed to beg.read more.
Ah, I know what I will do, so that people will welcome me to their houses when I am deposed from the factorship.' So he summoned every single one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much are you owing to my master?' 'A hundred barrels of oil,' he said. The factor told him, 'Here is your bill; sit down at once and enter fifty barrels.' Then he asked another, 'And how much do you owe?' 'A hundred quarters of wheat,' he said. 'Here is your bill,' said the factor, 'just enter eighty.'

Now, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts upon them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. The rain came down, the floods rose, the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, for it was founded on rock.

Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and acts upon them, I will show you whom he is like. He is like a man engaged in building a house, who dug deep down and laid his foundation on the rock; when a flood came, the river dashed against that house but could not shake it, for it had been well built.

Now where is the trusty and thoughtful servant, whom his lord and master has set over his household to assign them their supplies at the proper time? Blessed is that servant if his lord and master finds him so doing when he arrives! I tell you truly, he will set him over all his property.

The Lord said, "Well, where is the trusty, thoughtful steward whom the lord and master will set over his establishment to give out supplies at the proper time? Blessed is that servant if his lord and master finds him so doing when he arrives! I tell you plainly, he will set him over all his property.

But Jesus detected their malice. He said, "Why do you tempt me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for taxes." So they brought him a shilling. Then Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness, whose inscription is this?"read more.
"Caesar's," they said. Then he told them, "Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, give God what belongs to God." When they heard that they marvelled; then they left him and went away.

Are we to pay, or are we not to pay?" But he saw their trick and said to them, "Why tempt me? Bring me a shilling. Let me see it." So they brought one. He said, "Whose likeness, whose inscription is this?" "Caesar's," they said. Jesus said to them, "Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, give God what belongs to God." He astonished them.

But he noted their knavery and said to them, "Show me a shilling. Whose likeness and inscription does it bear?" "Caesar's," they replied. "Well then," he said to them, "give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, give God what belongs to God."read more.
So they could not seize on what he said before the people, and marvelling at his reply they said nothing.

And 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 a God of dead people but of living."

As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, at the passage on 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 dead people but of living. You are far wrong."

And that the dead are raised has been indicated by Moses in the passage on the Bush, when he calls the Lord 'God of Abraham and God of Isaac and God of Jacob.' God is not a God of dead people but of living, for all live to him."

but as they persisted with their question, he raised himself and said to them, "Let the innocent among you throw the first stone at her";

Then Herod saw the magicians had trifled with him, and he was furiously angry; he sent and slew all the male children in Bethlehem and in all the neighbourhood who were two years old or under, calculating by the time he had ascertained from the magicians.

He said to her, "Let the children be satisfied first of all; it is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She answered him, "No, sir, but under the table the dogs do pick up the children's crumbs." He said to her, "Well, go your way; the daemon has left your daughter, since you have said that."

He replied, "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." "No, sir," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." At that Jesus replied, "O woman, you have great faith; your prayer is granted as you wish." And from that hour her daughter was cured.

and said, "You son of the devil, you enemy of all good, full of all craft and all cunning, will you never stop diverting the straight paths of the Lord?

It is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the sages, I will confound the insight of the wise.

For God ranks this world's wisdom as 'sheer folly.' It is written, He seizes the wise in their craftiness, and again, The Lord knows the reasoning of the wise is futile.

but I am afraid of your thoughts getting seduced from a single devotion to Christ, just as the serpent beguiled Eve with his cunning.

in case Satan should take advantage of our position ??for I know his man?uvres!

'Apostles'? They are spurious apostles, false workmen ??they are masquerading as 'apostles of Christ.' No wonder they do, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his ministers also masquerade as ministers of righteousness. Their doom will answer to their deeds.

Then the Pharisees went and plotted to trap him in talk. They sent him their disciples with the Herodians, who said, "Teacher, we know you are sincere and that you teach the Way of God honestly and fearlessly; you do not court human favour. Tell us, then, what you think about this. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

But they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to him for the purpose of catching him with a question. They came up and said to him, "Teacher, we know you are sincere and fearless; you do not court human favour, you teach the Way of God honestly. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Are we to pay, or are we not to pay?" But he saw their trick and said to them, "Why tempt me? Bring me a shilling. Let me see it."

So watching their chance they sent spies who pretended to be honest persons, in order to seize on what he said and get him handed over to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. They put this question to him, "Teacher, we know you are straight in what you say and teach, you do not look to human favour but teach the Way of God honestly. Is it right for us to pay tribute to Caesar or not?"

Then the high priests and the elders of the people met in the palace of the high priest who was called Caiaphas and took counsel together to get hold of Jesus by craft and have him put to death.

The passover and the festival of unleavened bread fell two days later; so the high priests and scribes were trying how to get hold of him by craft and have him put to death. "Only," they said, "it must not be during the festival; that would mean a popular riot."

Now the feast of unleavened bread which is called the passover was near. The high priests and scribes were trying how to get him put to death (for they were afraid of the people),

But let that pass, you say; I was not a burden to you, no, but I was clever enough to dupe you with my tricks? Was I?