31 Bible Verses about Shrewdness

"Remember it is I who am sending you out, as sheep into the midst of wolves; prove yourselves as sagacious as serpents, and as innocent as doves.

"And the master praised the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for, in relation to their own contemporaries, the men of this age are shrewder than the sons of Light. "But I charge you, so to use the wealth which is ever tempting to dishonesty as to win friends who, when it fails, shall welcome you to the tents that never perish.

He said also to His disciples: "There was a rich man who had a steward, about whom a report was brought to him, that he was wasting his property. He called him and said, "'What is this I hear about you? Render an account of your stewardship, for I cannot let you hold it any longer.' "Then the steward said within himself, "'What am I to do? For my master is taking away the stewardship from me. I am not strong enough for field labour: to beg, I should be ashamed.read more.
I see what to do, in order that when I am discharged from the stewardship they may give me a home in their own houses.' "So he called all his master's debtors, one by one, and asked the first, 'How much are you in debt to my master?' "'A hundred firkins of oil,' he replied. "'Here is your account,' said the steward: 'sit down quickly and change it into fifty firkins.' "To a second he said, "'And how much do you owe?' "'A hundred quarters of wheat,' was the answer. "'Here is your account,' said he: 'change it into eighty quarters.'

"Every one who hears these my teachings and acts upon them will be found to resemble a wise man who builds his house upon rock; and the heavy rain falls, the swollen torrents come, and the winds blow and beat against the house; yet it does not fall, for its foundation is on rock.

Every one who comes to me and listens to my words and puts them in practice, I will show you whom he is like. He is like a man building a house, who digs and goes deep, and lays the foundation on the rock; and when a flood comes, the torrent bursts upon that house, but is unable to shake it, because it is securely built.

"Who therefore is the loyal and intelligent servant to whom his master has entrusted the control of his household to give them their rations at the appointed time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes shall find so doing! In solemn truth I tell you that he will give him the management of all his wealth.

"Who, then," replied the Lord, "is the faithful and intelligent steward whom his Master will put in charge of His household to serve out their rations at the proper times? Blessed is that servant whom his Master when He comes shall find so doing. I tell you truly that He will put him in authority over all His possessions.

Perceiving their wickedness, Jesus replied, "Why are you hypocrites trying to ensnare me? Show me the tribute coin." And they brought Him a shilling. "Whose likeness and inscription," He asked, "is this?"read more.
"Caesar's," they replied. "Pay therefore," He rejoined, "what is Caesar's to Caesar; and what is God's to God." They heard this, and were astonished; then left Him, and went their way.

Shall we pay, or shall we refuse to pay?" But He, knowing their hypocrisy, replied, "Why try to ensnare me? Bring me a shilling for me to look at." They brought one; and He asked them, "Whose is this likeness and this inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied. "What is Caesar's," replied Jesus, "pay to Caesar--and what is God's, pay to God." And they wondered exceedingly at Him.

But He saw through their knavery and replied, "Show me a shilling; whose likeness and inscription does it bear?" "Caesar's," they said. "Pay therefore," He replied, "what is Caesar's to Caesar--and what is God's to God."read more.
There was nothing here that they could lay hold of before the people, and marvelling at His answer they said no more.

But as to the Resurrection of the dead, have you never read what God says to you, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of dead, but of living men."

But as to the dead, that they rise to life, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the Bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?' He is not the God of dead, but of living men. You are in grave error."

But that the dead rise to life even Moses clearly implies in the passage about the Bush, where he calls the Lord 'The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' He is not a God of dead, but of living men, for to Him are all living."

When however they persisted with their question, He raised His head and said to them, "Let the sinless man among you be the first to throw a stone at her."

Then Herod, finding that the Magi had trifled with him, was furious, and sent and massacred all the boys under two years of age, in Bethlehem and all its neighbourhood, according to the date he had so carefully ascertained from the Magi.

"Let the children first eat all they want," He said; "it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." "True, Sir," she replied, "and yet the dogs under the table eat the children's scraps." "For those words of yours, go home," He replied; "the demon has gone out of your daughter."

"It is not right," He said, "to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." "Be it so, Sir," she said, "for even the dogs eat the scraps which fall from their masters' tables." "O woman," replied Jesus, "great is your faith: be it done to you as you desire." And from that moment her daughter was restored to health.

said, "You who are full of every kind of craftiness and unscrupulous cunning--you son of the Devil and foe to all that is right--will you never cease to misrepresent the straight paths of the Lord?

So we shall no longer be babes nor shall we resemble mariners tossed on the waves and carried about with every changing wind of doctrine according to men's cleverness and unscrupulous cunning, making use of every shifting device to mislead.

For so it stands written, "I will exhibit the nothingness of the wisdom of the wise, and the intelligence of the intelligent I will bring to nought."

This world's wisdom is "foolishness" in God's sight; for it is written, "He snares the wise with their own cunning." And again, "The Lord takes knowledge of the reasonings of the wise--how useless they are."

But I am afraid that, as the serpent in his craftiness deceived Eve, so your minds may be led astray from their single-heartedness and their fidelity to Christ.

for fear Satan should gain an advantage over us. For we are not ignorant of his devices.

For men of this stamp are sham apostles, dishonest workmen, assuming the garb of Apostles of Christ. And no wonder. Satan, their master, can disguise himself as an angel of light. It is therefore no great thing for his servants also to disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will be in accordance with their actions.

Then the Pharisees went and consulted together how they might entrap Him in His conversation. So they sent to Him their disciples together with the Herodians; who said, "Teacher, we know that you are truthful and that you faithfully teach God's truth; and that no fear of man misleads you, for you are not biased by men's wealth or rank. Give us your judgement therefore: is it allowable for us to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?"

Their next step was to send to Him some of the Pharisees and of Herod's partisans to entrap Him in conversation. So they came to Him. "Rabbi," they said, "we know that you are a truthful man and you do not fear any one; for you do not recognize human distinctions, but teach God's way truly. Is it allowable to pay poll-tax to Caesar, or not? Shall we pay, or shall we refuse to pay?" But He, knowing their hypocrisy, replied, "Why try to ensnare me? Bring me a shilling for me to look at."

So, after impatiently watching their opportunity, they sent spies who were to act the part of good and honest men, that they might fasten on some expression of His, so as to hand Him over to the ruling power and the Governor's authority. So they put a question to Him. "Rabbi," they said, "we know that you say and teach what is right and that you make no distinctions between one man and another, but teach God's way truly. Is it allowable to pay a tax to Caesar, or not?"

Then the High Priests and Elders of the People assembled in the court of the palace of the High Priest Caiaphas, and consulted how to get Jesus into their power by stratagem and put Him to death.

It was now two days before the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread, and the High Priests and Scribes were bent on finding how to seize Him by stratagem and put Him to death. But they said, "Not on the Festival-day, for fear there should be a riot among the people."

Meanwhile the Festival of the Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the High Priests and the Scribes were contriving how to destroy Him. But they feared the people.

If I love you so intensely, am I the less to be loved? Be that as it may: I was not a burden to you. But being by no means scrupulous, I entrapped you, they say!