14 Bible Verses about Worldly Ambition

Come, let us go down and take away the sense of their language, so that they will not be able to make themselves clear to one another.

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!

Lord, there is no pride in my heart and my eyes are not lifted up; and I have not taken part in great undertakings, or in things over-hard for me.

That the pride of the sinner is short, and the joy of the evil-doer but for a minute? Though he is lifted up to the heavens, and his head goes up to the clouds; Like the waste from his body he comes to an end for ever: those who have seen him say, Where is he?read more.
He is gone like a dream, and is not seen again; he goes in flight like a vision of the night. The eye which saw him sees him no longer; and his place has no more knowledge of him.

For a short time they are lifted up; then they are gone; they are made low, they are pulled off like fruit, and like the heads of grain they are cut off.

The place of the dead is their house for ever, and their resting-place through all generations; those who come after them give their names to their lands. But man, like the animals, does not go on for ever; he comes to an end like the beasts. This is the way of the foolish; their silver is for those who come after them, and their children get the pleasure of their gold. (Selah.)read more.
Death will give them their food like sheep; the underworld is their fate and they will go down into it; their flesh is food for worms; their form is wasted away; the underworld is their resting-place for ever. But God will get back my soul; for he will take me from the power of death. (Selah.) Have no fear when wealth comes to a man, and the glory of his house is increased; For at his death, he will take nothing away; his glory will not go down after him. Though he might have pride in his soul in his life-time, and men will give you praise if you do well for yourself, He will go to the generation of his fathers; he will not see the light again. Man, like the animals, does not go on for ever; he comes to an end like the beasts.

What is the cause of wars and fighting among you? is it not in your desires which are at war in your bodies? You are burning with desire, and have not your desire, so you put men to death; you are full of envy, and you are not able to get your desire, so you are fighting and making war; you have not your desire, because you do not make request for it.

The lover of fighting is a lover of sin: he who makes high his doorway is looking for destruction.

How great is your fall from heaven, O shining one, son of the morning! How are you cut down to the earth, low among the dead bodies! For you said in your heart, I will go up to heaven, I will make my seat higher than the stars of God; I will take my place on the mountain of the meeting-place of the gods, in the inmost parts of the north. I will go higher than the clouds; I will be like the Most High.read more.
But you will come down to the underworld, even to its inmost parts.

For this cause the Lord has said: Because he is tall, and has put his top among the clouds, and his heart is full of pride because he is so high, I have given him up into the hands of a strong one of the nations; he will certainly give him the reward of his sin, driving him out.

A curse on the cruel and false one! the man full of pride, who never has enough; who makes his desires wide as the underworld! he is like death; he is never full, but he makes all nations come to him, getting all peoples together to himself.

Because you have taken their goods from great nations, all the rest of the peoples will take your goods from you; because of men's blood and violent acts against the land and the town and all who are living in it. A curse on him who gets evil profits for his family, so that he may put his resting-place on high and be safe from the hand of the wrongdoer!

A curse on him who is building a place with blood, and basing a town on evil-doing!