56 Bible Verses about Woe
Most Relevant Verses
Woe to you who destroy for you have not been destroyed! Woe to you who betray for you who have not been betrayed! When you stop destroying you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying you will be betrayed.
This is what the Lord Jehovah said about [MOAB]: Pity the people of Nebo. Their town is destroyed! Kiriathaim is captured, its mighty fortress torn down, and its people put to shame. The splendor of Moab is gone. The enemy has captured Heshbon and plot to destroy the nation of Moab. The town of Madmen will be silenced. Armies will march against it.
Woe to the bloody city! It is full of lies and robbery! The prey does not leave. There is the noise of the whip and the sound of the rattling wheel; the sound of the dashing horse and the bounding chariot. The horseman is mounting. There is the flashing sword and the glittering spear! The multitudes of slain ones produce a great heap of corpses. There is no end of the bodies! They stumble upon their bodies.read more.
This is because of Nineveh's constant prostitution, this very charming mistress of evil magic. She used to sell nations by her prostitution and people by her evil magic. I am against you, Nineveh, declares Jehovah of Hosts. I will lift up your dress over your face. I will show nations your naked body and kingdoms your disgrace. I will treat you with contempt and cover you with filth. People will stare at you in horror. And it will come about that all who see you will go in flight from you and say, Nineveh is devastated: who will weep for her? Where will I get comforters for her?
Will they all taunt him by directing clever sayings and riddles at him? They will say: How horrible it will be for the one who makes himself rich with what is not his own (by extortion) and makes himself wealthy on loans. How long will this go on? Will your creditors and collection agents suddenly arise and make you tremble? Then you will become their prize. The people who remain will plunder you because you have plundered many nations. It is because of the blood you shed and the violence you brought on the land, the city and all who dwell there.read more.
He who receives a dishonest profit for his house will have trouble. He may set his nest on high in order to be delivered from the hand of evil! You have purposed a shameful thing for your house. You have sinned against yourself by destroying many people. The stones will cry out from the wall. The beams out of the woodwork will answer it. Woe to him who builds a town with bloodshed and establishes a city with iniquity! Is it for Jehovah of Hosts that the peoples labor for the fire? Do the nations weary themselves for vanity? The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea. Woe to anyone who gives his neighbors drink and empties his bottle. He makes them drunk and then looks on their nakedness. You are filled with shame and not glory. You drink also as one who is uncircumcised. The cup of Jehovah's right (strong) hand will come around to you. Intense shame will tarnish your glory. The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you. The destruction of the animals and shedding of blood will frighten you. The violence done to the inhabitants of the land and the city will terrify you. What is an idol worth after the carver is done? It is merely a false god. Why trust a speechless image made by human hands from wood or metal? Woe to anyone who says to an idol of wood or stone get up! You can learn nothing from idols covered with silver or gold? They cannot breathe or talk. Jehovah is in his Holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him.
Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of Jehovah is against you, O Canaan, the land of the Philistines. I will destroy you and you will not be inhabited.
Woe to them, for they have strayed from me! Destruction is theirs, for they have rebelled against me! I would redeem them, but they speak lies against me. And they do not cry to me from their heart when they wail on their beds. For the sake of grain and new wine they assemble, but they turn away from me. Although I trained (disciplined) and strengthened their arms (might) (power), yet they devise evil against me.read more.
They do not turn upward [to God]. They are like a loose bow. Their princes will fall by the sword because of the insolence of their tongue. This will be their derision in the land of Egypt.
Suffer you unwilling children, says Jehovah. You pursue a purpose that is not mine. You make a covenant sacrifice without my Spirit. You add sin to sin. You go to Egypt for help without asking for my advice. You want Egypt to protect you. You put your trust in Egypt's military might.
Does a clay pot dare argue with its maker, a pot that is like all the others? Does the clay ask the potter what he is doing? Does the pot complain that its maker has no skill? Do we dare say to our parents: 'Why did you make me like this?'
The enemy comes up like clouds. His chariots are like a raging wind. His horses are swifter than eagles. How horable it will be for us! We will be destroyed! O Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart so that you may be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts lodge within you? A message is heard from Dan. A report of disaster comes from the mountains of Ephraim.read more.
Warn the nations about this. Tell it to Jerusalem. Hostile troops are coming from a distant country. They shout battle cries against the cities of Judah. They surround Judah like men guarding a field, because Judah has rebelled against me, declares Jehovah. You brought this on yourself. This is your punishment. It is bitter. It breaks your heart.
The Lord Jehovah said: You are doomed! Doomed! You did all that evil, and then by the side of every road you built places to worship idols and practice prostitution. You dragged your beauty through the mud. You offered yourself to everyone who came by, and you were more of a prostitute every day.read more.
You let your lustful neighbors, the Egyptians, go to bed with you, and you used your prostitution to make me angry. Now I have raised my hand to punish you and to take away your share of my blessing. I have handed you over to the Philistines, who hate you. They are also disgusted with your immoral actions.
Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture! Says Jehovah. This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says concerning the shepherds who are tending my people: You have scattered my flock and driven them away. You have not attended to them. I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds, says Jehovah.
The word of Jehovah continued to come to me: Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own heart (inspiration): 'Listen to the word of Jehovah! The Lord Jehovah said: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing.read more.
O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among ruins. You have not gone up into the gaps (broken places) of the wall around the house of Israel. You did not build the wall to stand in the battle on the day of Jehovah. They see falsehood and lying divination. They are saying: 'Jehovah declares,' when Jehovah has not sent them. Yet they hope for the fulfillment of their word. Did you not see a false vision and speak a lying divination when you said 'Jehovah declares,' but it is not I who has spoken?' Therefore, the Lord Jehovah says: 'Because you have spoken falsehood and seen a lie, therefore behold, I am against you,' declares the Lord Jehovah. My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will have no place in the council of my people. They will not be written down in the register of the house of Israel. And they will not enter the land of Israel, that you may know that I am the Lord Jehovah.
Jehovah continued to speak to me: Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy to these shepherds. Tell them: 'The Lord Jehovah says: How horrible it will be for the shepherds of Israel who have been taking care of only themselves. Should shepherds take care of the sheep? You eat the best parts of the sheep, dress in the wool, and butcher the finest sheep. Yet, you do not take care of the sheep.read more.
You have not strengthened those that were weak, healed those who were sick, or bandaged those who were injured. You have not brought back those who strayed away or looked for those who were lost. You have ruled them harshly and violently. They were scattered because there was no shepherd. They became food for every wild animal at the time they were scattered. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered throughout the entire earth. No one searched or looked for them. You shepherds, listen to the word of Jehovah. As I am alive, declares the Lord Jehovah, because there is no shepherd, my sheep have become prey. My sheep have become food for wild animals. My shepherds have not searched for my sheep. They have taken care of only themselves, not my sheep.' You shepherds, hear the word of Jehovah: The Lord Jehovah says: 'I am against the shepherds! I will demand my sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore. I will deliver my flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them.'
Woe to the oppressive city for she is rebellious and polluted (defiled)! She did not obey the voice of Jehovah. She would not accept correction (discipline). She did not trust Jehovah and draw close to her God. Her princes (rulers) within her are roaring lions. Her judges are evening wolves. They leave nothing till the morning.read more.
Her prophets are insolent and treacherous persons. Her priests have profaned the sanctuary! They have done violence to the law.
Jehovah said: Take yet again the instruments of a foolish shepherd. Warning! I will allow a shepherd in the land, who will not visit those who are perishing, and will not seek those that are scattered. This shepherd will not heal that which is broken, nor feed that which is hungry. He will eat the flesh of the fat sheep, and will tear their hoofs in pieces. Woe to the worthless shepherd that leaves the flock! The sword will be upon his arm, and upon his right eye. His arm will be withered and dried up, and his right eye will be blind.
Those who are at ease in Zion and are secure in the mountain of Samaria will have trouble. You are the notable men of the foremost nations to whom the house of Israel comes! Travel to Calneh and observe. From there go to the great Hamath. Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better off than these kingdoms? Is their territory greater than your territory? You put far away the evil day and cause the place of violence to come near.read more.
You lie on beds of ivory, and stretch on couches. You eat the the best lambs out of the flock and the fattest calves out of the stall. You sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David you improvise on musical instruments. You drink wine in bowls, and anoint yourselves with the finest oils. But you are not grieved because of the affliction of Joseph. Therefore you will be captured with the first that go captive. Your feasting and lounging will pass away.
Woe to you who desire the day of Jehovah! What will the day of Jehovah mean to you? It is darkness, and not light. Like a man who ran from a lion, and a bear met him! So he went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Will the day of Jehovah be darkness with no light? Will it be very dark, and no brightness in it?read more.
I hate, I despise (reject) your feasts, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Yes, even if you offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings, I will not accept them. Neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take the noise of your songs away from me! I will not listen to the melody of your harps. Justice should roll down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.
How horrible it will be for those who enact unjust laws and who decree oppressive regulations. They deprive the poor of justice. They take away the rights of the needy among my people. They prey on widows and rob orphans. What will you do on the day you are called to account for these things, when destruction comes from far away? Where will you run for help? Where will you leave your wealth?read more.
There is nothing left but to crouch among prisoners and to fall with those who are killed. Even after all this, his anger will not disappear. His hand is stretched out (he is still ready to use his power).
Cursed are those who are joining house to house, and putting field to field, till there is no more living-space for any but themselves in all the land! With my own ears I heard Jehovah of Hosts say: Many houses will become empty. Large, beautiful houses will be without people to live in them. A ten-acre vineyard will produce only six gallons of wine, and two quarts of seed will produce only four quarts of grain.read more.
How horrible it will be for those who get up early in the morning to look for a drink and who sit up late at night until they are drunk from wine. At their feasts there are lyres and harps, tambourines and flutes, and wine. Yet, they do not pay attention to what Jehovah is doing or respect what his hands have done. My people will go into exile because they do not understand what I am doing. Honored men will starve, and common people will be parched with thirst. That is why the grave's appetite increases. It opens its mouth very wide so that honored people and common people will go down into it. Those who are noisy and joyous will go down into it. People will be brought down. Everyone will be humiliated and the eyes of arrogant people will be abased (humbled). Jehovah of Hosts shows his greatness by doing what is right. He reveals his holiness by judging his people. In the ruins of the cities lambs will eat grass and young goats will find pasture. Woe to those who scatter sin with cords of falsehood and iniquity with a cart rope! You say: Let Jehovah hurry up and do what he says he will, so that we can see it. Let Israel's holy God carry out his plans. Let us see what he has in mind. You are doomed! You call evil good and you call good evil. You turn darkness into light and light into darkness. You make what is bitter, sweet, and what is sweet you make bitter. You are doomed! You think you are wise. You think you are so very clever. You are doomed! Heroes of the wine bottle! Brave and fearless when it comes to mixing drinks! You let the guilty go free for a bribe and you keep the innocent from getting justice.
Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness and his upper rooms without justice. Woe to him who uses his neighbor's services without pay and does not give him his wages. Woe to him who says: 'I will build myself a roomy house with spacious upper rooms, and cut out its windows. I will panel it with cedar and paint it bright red (vermilion).' Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him.read more.
He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy. Then it was well. Is that not what it means to know me? Says Jehovah. Your eyes and your heart are intent only upon your own dishonest gain. You are shedding innocent blood and on practicing oppression and extortion. Therefore Jehovah tells us about Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: They will not cry for him: 'Alas, my brother!' And, 'Alas, sister!' They will not mourn him: 'Alas for the master!' And, Alas for his splendor! He will be buried with a donkey's burial. He will be dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
Woe to those who devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds! When the morning comes they do it because they are able to (it is in the power of their hands). They covet fields and seize them. They covet houses and confiscate them! They oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. Therefore Jehovah says: Behold, against this family I plan bad things, from which you will not remove the burden. You will not be able to show pride for it is an evil time.
Then I saw and heard an angel flying in midheaven. He said with a loud voice: Woe, woe, woe to those dwelling on earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!
Therefore rejoice (be glad), you heavens, and you that dwell in them. But woe to the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having fierce anger, because he knows that he has only a short time.
They will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, and say: 'Woe, woe to the great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.'
Oh, I am wounded! My wound is serious. Then I thought that this is my punishment, and I will bear it.
When the Philistines heard the noise, they asked: What is all this shouting in the Hebrew camp? The Philistines found out that Jehovah's ark was brought into the camp. Then they were frightened and said: A god has come into their camp. They also said: Oh no! Nothing like this has ever happened before. We are in trouble now! Who will deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with plagues in the desert wilderness.
How horrible it is to live as a foreigner in Meshech or to stay in the tents of Kedar. I have lived too long with those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I talk about it, they only talk about war.
The enemy comes up like clouds. His chariots are like a raging wind. His horses are swifter than eagles. How horable it will be for us! We will be destroyed!
The crown has been taken from our head. Sorrow is ours, for we are sinners.
Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because what they say and what they do is against Jehovah! They are defiant in his honored presence. The expression on their faces will be held against them. They boast about their sins! They are like those of the people of Sodom. They do not even bother to hide them. How horrible it will be for these people. They have brought disaster on themselves.
Woe to me! I cried. I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips (a sinner) and I live among a people of unclean (filthy) lips (speech) (language). My eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of Hosts.
Though I preach the good news I do not brag about it. Preaching the good news is my duty (obligation) and I must do it! It would be terrible if I did not preach the good news!
This is the message that the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Baruch, son of Neriah. Baruch wrote these things on a scroll (book) as Jeremiah dictated them during the fourth year that Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, was king of Judah. Jeremiah said: This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says to you, Baruch: You said: I am so miserable! Jehovah has added grief to my pain. I am worn out from groaning. I cannot find any rest.read more.
Say this to Baruch: 'This is what Jehovah says: I will tear down what I have built. I will uproot what I have planted throughout the earth. Are you looking for great things for yourself? Do not look for them. I am going to bring disaster on all people! Declares Jehovah, But wherever you go I will let you escape with your life.
Woe to you who are rich! You have received your reward. Woe to you who are full now! For you will hunger. Woe to you who laugh now! You will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you! Their fathers did the same to the prophets.
Woe to you lawyers, for you took away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves and you hindered those entering.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You close the kingdom of heaven to people. You do not invite others to enter nor do you enter. [Verse not found in oldest manuscripts.] Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel on both sea and land to make one convert. When this happens, you make him twice as deserving of destruction in the trash fires of the valley of Hinnom (Greek: Gehenna).read more.
Woe to you, you blind guides! You say, 'When you swear by the temple, it is nothing.' Then you say, 'When you swear by the gold of the temple, you are obligated.' You fools! You blind men! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? When you swear by an altar, you owe nothing. When you swear by the gift left on the altar, you are obligated. You blind men! What is more important, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? He who swears by the altar, swears by it and everything on it. He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by him that dwells within it. Thus, he who swears by heaven also swears by the throne of God and him who sits on it. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy and faith. You should do both and leave nothing undone. You blind guides! You strain out the gnat and swallow the camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, yet the inside is full of extortion and excess. You are blind. Clean the inside of the cup and platter first. Then clean the outside. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that appear beautiful on the outside. They are full of dead men's bones and uncleanness on the inside. You appear righteous to men. However, inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the tombs of the righteous. You claim that you would not have been involved with your fathers when they spilled the blood of the prophets. You witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up the (guilt) measure of your fathers. You serpents! You offspring of vipers! How will you escape from being destroyed in the ever-burning fires of the Valley of Hinnom? (Greek: Gehenna, the trash fires in the valley just outside of Jerusalem)
Woe to you Pharisees! You tithe mint and rue and every herb, and pass over justice and the love of God. You should have done these but you leave them undone. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the prominent seats in the synagogues, and the greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! You are as the tombs that do not appear and men walk over them and do not know it.read more.
One of the lawyers said to him: Teacher, you also insult us by saying this. Jesus said: Woe to you lawyers also! For you load men with burdens that are difficult to bear. And you will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. Therefore you are witnesses and consent to the works of your fathers. They killed them and you build their tombs. It is for this reason the wisdom of God said, 'I send to them prophets and apostles and they will persecute and kill some of them.' The blood of all the prophets shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation. This includes the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. I tell you it will be required of this generation.
A curse is on the earth because of stumbling! It is necessary for stumbling to come. Unhappy is that man through whom the stumbling comes.
Jesus told his disciples: Things that cause people to stumble do happen. However it is a terrible thing for someone to make them happen! It would be better for him to have a large millstone tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch how you behave. Admonish your brother to repent when he sins. Forgive him when he repents.
Woe to you Chorazin! Woe to you Bethsaida! If the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which were done in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. It will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you.
Then he denounced the cities where most of his mighty works were done, because they did not repent. Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon that were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. I say to you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the Day of Judgment than for you.
It is written that the Son of man will depart. The man who betrays him will experience much grief. It would have been better if that man had not been born.
The Son of man goes even as it is written of him. Woe to that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been better if he had not been born.
The Son of man indeed goes, as it has been determined. But woe to that man through whom he is betrayed!
You who are pregnant or nursing babies in those days will feel trouble. Pray that your flight not be in the winter, neither on a Sabbath. There will be great tribulation. It will be greater than any has ever been from the beginning of the world until now.
Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! Pray that this not be in the winter. The tribulation in these days will be greater then there has ever been from the beginning of God's creation until now, and never shall be.
Woe to those who are pregnant and those who nurse a child in those days! There will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people.
Woe to me! I cried. I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips (a sinner) and I live among a people of unclean (filthy) lips (speech) (language). My eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of Hosts. Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand. With tongs he seized it from the altar. He touched my mouth with it and said: See! This has touched your lips, your guilt is taken away and your sin forgiven (pardoned) (atoned for).
You will have trouble Ariel. The years go by, year after year in Ariel the city where David camped! (Jerusalem) You celebrate your festivals on schedule. I will still make you suffer Ariel. Your people will cry and mourn when I make you like the lion of God, Jerusalem. (Ariel is symbolic name for Jerusalem.) I will surround you with a military blockade and attack you from all sides.read more.
From deep in the earth, you will call out for help. Your voice will sound like a mumble (indistinct voice) from out of the dust. It will be faint like a whisper. Your cruel enemies will be swept away like dust in a windstorm. It will be sudden and unexpected like chaff in the wind. Jehovah of Hosts will visit you with a thundering earthquake. A huge whirlwind will bring loud noise and a devouring fire. The multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel (Jerusalem) will be like a bad dream, a vision in the night. Many will fight against her and bring distress to her. It will be like a hungry man who dreams that he eats. But when he awakes he is empty and still hungry! It will also be like a thirsty man who dreams that he drinks. When he awakes he is thirsty and weak and hungry. The multitude of nations that fight against Mount Zion will be like this.
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed. Her sin has been paid for and she has received double for all her sins from Jehovah's hand.
This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says to you, Baruch: You said: I am so miserable! Jehovah has added grief to my pain. I am worn out from groaning. I cannot find any rest. Say this to Baruch: 'This is what Jehovah says: I will tear down what I have built. I will uproot what I have planted throughout the earth.read more.
Are you looking for great things for yourself? Do not look for them. I am going to bring disaster on all people! Declares Jehovah, But wherever you go I will let you escape with your life.
He broke my teeth with crushed stones. I am bent low in the dust. Peace has been removed far away from me. I do not remember what good is. I said: My strength is cut off, and my hope from Jehovah.read more.
Remember my trouble and my wandering, the bitterroot and the poison. Remember and bow (bend) (come down to my level) down deep within me. I remember this and I have hope. We have not come to destruction because of Jehovah's loving kindness. His mercies are without end. They are new every morning. Your faithfulness is abundant. I said to myself, Jehovah is my heritage. For this reason I will hope in him. Jehovah is good to those who are waiting for him, to the person seeking him. It is good to go on hoping and quietly waiting for the salvation of Jehovah.
Topics on Woe
Woe For Disaster
Jeremiah 30:7How terrible that day will be! There will be no other day like it. It will be a time of calamity for the descendants of Jacob, but they will be rescued from it.
Woe To Israel And Jerusalem
Jeremiah 13:27I have seen you commit adultery and scream with delight. I have seen you act like a brazen prostitute on the hills and in the fields. How hideous it will be for you, Jerusalem! Will you ever be clean?
Woe To The Wicked
Matthew 11:21Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon that were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.