14 Bible Verses about Worldly Ambition

Come on, let us descend and mingle their tongue even there, that one understand not what another sayeth."

Woe be unto you that join one house to another, and bring one land so nigh unto another, that the poor can get no more ground. Will ye dwell upon the earth alone?

{A song of the stairs} LORD, I am not high-minded; I have no proud looks. I do not exercise myself in great matters which are too high for me. But I refrain my soul and keep it low, like as a child that is weaned from his mother; Yea, my soul is even as a weaned child.

the praise of the ungodly hath been short, and that the joy of the hypocrites continued but the twinkling of an eye? Though he be magnified up to the heaven, so that his head reacheth into the clouds: yet he perisheth at the last, like dung. Insomuch that they which have seen him, say, 'Where is he?'read more.
He vanisheth as a dream, so that he can no more be found, and passeth away as a vision in the night. So that the eye which saw him before, getteth now no sight of him, and his place knoweth him no more.

They are exalted for a little, but shortly are they gone, brought to extreme poverty, and taken out of the way: yea, and utterly plucked off, as the ears of corn.

And yet they think that their houses shall continue forever, and that their dwelling-places shall endure from one generation to another; and call the lands after their own names. Nevertheless, man will not abide in honour, seeing he may be compared unto the beasts that perish; this is the way of them. This way of theirs is very foolishness, and yet their posterity praise it with their mouth. Selah.read more.
They lie in the hell like sheep, death gnaweth upon them, and the righteous shall have domination of them in the morning. Their beauty shall consume in the sepulchre, and hell shall be their dwelling. But God shall deliver my soul from the power of hell, when he receiveth me. Selah. Be not thou afraid, though one be made rich, or if the glory of his house be increased; for he shall carry nothing away with him when he dieth, neither shall his pomp follow him. For while he lived, he counted himself a happy man; and so long as thou doest well unto thyself, men will speak good of thee. But when he followeth his fathers' generation, he shall never see light any more. When a man is in honour and hath no understanding, he is compared unto the brute beasts - and becometh like unto them.

From whence cometh war, and fighting among you? Come they not here hence, even of your voluptuousness that raineth in your members? Ye lust, and have not. Ye envy and have indignation, and cannot obtain. Ye fight and war, and have not, because ye ask not.

He that loveth strife, delighteth in sin; and whoso setteth his door too high, seeketh after a fall.

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, thou fair morning child! How hast thou gotten a fall, even to the ground; thou that didst subdue the people? For thou thoughtest in thine heart, "I will climb up into heaven, and make my seat above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the holy mount toward the North; I will climb up above the clouds; and will be like the highest of all."read more.
Yet dare I say, that thou shalt be brought down to the deep of hell.

"'Therefore, thus sayeth the LORD God: Forsomuch as he hath lift up himself so high, and stretched his top into the clouds, and seeing his heart is proud in his highness: I will deliver him into the hands of the mightiest among the Heathen, which shall root him out. According to his wickedness will I cast him away.

Like as the wine deceiveth the drunkard, even so the proud shall fail and not endure. He openeth his desire wide up as the hell, and is as insatiable as death. All Heathen gathereth he to him, and heapeth unto him all people."

Seeing thou hast spoiled many Heathen, therefore shall the remnant of the people spoil thee: because of men's blood, and for the wrong done in the land, in the city and unto all them that dwell therein. Woe unto him, that covetously gathereth evil gotten goods into his house: that he may set his nest on high, to escape from the power of misfortune.

Woe unto him, that buildeth the town with blood, and maintaineth the city with unrighteousness.