'Disaster' in the Bible

Your servant has indeed found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness by saving my life. But I can’t run to the mountains; the disaster will overtake me, and I will die.

Why should the Egyptians say, ‘He brought them out with an evil intent to kill them in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from Your great anger and relent concerning this disaster planned for Your people.

So the Lord relented concerning the disaster He said He would bring on His people.

He considers no disaster for Jacob;He sees no trouble for Israel.The Lord their God is with them,and there is rejoicing over the King among them.

For I know that after my death you will become completely corrupt and turn from the path I have commanded you. Disaster will come to you in the future, because you will do what is evil in the Lord’s sight, infuriating Him with what your hands have made.”

Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay.In time their foot will slip,for their day of disaster is near,and their doom is coming quickly.”

But keep yourselves from the things set apart, or you will be set apart for destruction. If you take any of those things, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster on it.

Whenever the Israelites went out, the Lord was against them and brought disaster on them, just as He had promised and sworn to them. So they suffered greatly.

Then 10,000 choice men from all Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce, but the Benjaminites did not know that disaster was about to strike them.

Then the men of Israel returned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized that disaster had struck them.

“This is what the Lord says, ‘I am going to bring disaster on you from your own family: I will take your wives and give them to another before your very eyes, and he will sleep with them publicly.

David said to all the servants with him in Jerusalem, “Get up. We have to flee, or we will not escape from Absalom! Leave quickly, or he will soon overtake us, heap disaster on us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”

Because of all this, I am about to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam:I will eliminate all of Jeroboam’s males,both slave and free, in Israel;I will sweep away the house of Jeroboamas one sweeps away dung until it is all gone!

This is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to bring disaster on you and will sweep away your descendants:I will eliminate all of Ahab’s males,both slave and free, in Israel;

“Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? I will not bring the disaster during his lifetime, because he has humbled himself before Me. I will bring the disaster on his house during his son’s lifetime.”

The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man who can ask Yahweh, but I hate him because he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”“The king shouldn’t say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.

So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster?”

“You see, the Lord has put a lying spirit into the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has pronounced disaster against you.”

While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him. Then he said, “This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”

This disaster happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt and because they had worshiped other gods.

this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I am about to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that everyone who hears about it will shudder.

This is what the Lord says: I am about to bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants, fulfilling all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read,

therefore, I will indeed gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster that I am bringing on this place.’”Then they reported to the king.

The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man who can ask Yahweh, but I hate him because he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”“The king shouldn’t say that,” Jehoshaphat replied.

So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster?”

“Now, you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit into the mouth of these prophets of yours, and the Lord has pronounced disaster against you.”

“If disaster comes on us—sword or judgment, pestilence or famine—we will stand before this temple and before You, for Your name is in this temple. We will cry out to You because of our distress, and You will hear and deliver.”

‘This is what Yahweh says: I am about to bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants, fulfilling all the curses written in the book that they read in the presence of the king of Judah,

‘I will indeed gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster that I am bringing on this place and on its inhabitants.’”Then they reported to the king.

Didn’t your ancestors do the same, so that our God brought all this disaster on us and on this city? And now you are rekindling His anger against Israel by profaning the Sabbath!”

When disaster brings sudden death,He mocks the despair of the innocent.

His strength is depleted;disaster lies ready for him to stumble.

How often is the lamp of the wicked put out?Does disaster come on them?Does He apportion destruction in His anger?

Indeed, the evil man is spared from the day of disaster,rescued from the day of wrath.

Doesn’t disaster come to the unjustand misfortune to evildoers?

For disaster from God terrifies me,and because of His majesty I could not do these things.

because of the enemy’s voice,because of the pressure of the wicked.For they bring down disaster on meand harass me in anger.

He made their days end in futility,their years in sudden disaster.

A kind man benefits himself,but a cruel man brings disaster on himself.

No disaster overcomes the righteous,but the wicked are full of misery.

Disaster pursues sinners,but good rewards the righteous.

The Lord has prepared everything for His purpose—even the wicked for the day of disaster.

The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker,and one who rejoices over calamitywill not go unpunished.

The one who sows injustice will reap disaster,and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.

for destruction from them will come suddenly;who knows what distress these two can bring?

Give a portion to seven or even to eight,for you don’t know what disaster may happen on earth.

I will bring disaster on the world,and their own iniquity, on the wicked.I will put an end to the pride of the arrogantand humiliate the insolence of tyrants.

But He also is wise and brings disaster.He does not go back on what He says;He will rise up against the house of wicked menand against the allies of evildoers.

I form light and create darkness,I make success and create disaster;I, Yahweh, do all these things.

But disaster will happen to you;you will not know how to avert it.And it will fall on you,but you will be unable to ward it off.Devastation will happen to you suddenlyand unexpectedly.

They will not labor without successor bear children destined for disaster,for they will be a people blessed by the Lordalong with their descendants.

Then the Lord said to me, “Disaster will be poured out from the north on all who live in the land.

Israel was holy to the Lord,the firstfruits of His harvest.All who ate of it found themselves guilty;disaster came on them.”This is the Lord’s declaration.

say to a tree, “You are my father,”and to a stone, “You gave birth to me.”For they have turned their back to Meand not their face,yet in their time of disaster they beg,“Rise up and save us!”

But where are your gods you made for yourself?Let them rise up and save youin your time of disaster if they can,for your gods are as numerous as your cities, Judah.

Lift up a signal flag toward Zion.Run for cover! Don’t stand still!For I am bringing disaster from the north—a great destruction.

Disaster after disaster is reportedbecause the whole land is destroyed.Suddenly my tents are destroyed,my tent curtains, in a moment.

“Run for cover, Benjaminites,out of Jerusalem!Sound the ram’s horn in Tekoa;raise a smoke signal over Beth-haccherem,for disaster threatens from the north,even great destruction.

Listen, earth!I am about to bring disaster on these people,the fruit of their own plotting,for they have paid no attention to My word.They have rejected My instruction.

“Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I am about to bring on them disaster that they cannot escape. They will cry out to Me, but I will not hear them.

Then the cities of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods they have been burning incense to, but they certainly will not save them in their time of disaster.

“As for you, do not pray for these people. Do not raise up a cry or a prayer on their behalf, for I will not be listening when they call out to Me at the time of their disaster.

What right does My beloved haveto be in My house,having carried out so many evil schemes?Can holy meat prevent your disasterso you can rejoice?

“The Lord of Hosts who planted you has decreed disaster against you, because of the harm the house of Israel and the house of Judah brought on themselves, provoking Me to anger by burning incense to Baal.”

They will have no remnant, for I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.”

You are to speak this word to them:Let my eyes overflow with tears;day and night may they not stop,for the virgin daughter of my peoplehas been destroyed by a great disaster,an extremely severe wound.

“When you tell these people all these things, they will say to you, ‘Why has the Lord declared all this great disaster against us? What is our guilt? What is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’

Don’t become a terror to me.You are my refuge in the day of disaster.

Let my persecutors be put to shame,but don’t let me be put to shame.Let them be terrified, but don’t let me be terrified.Bring on them the day of disaster;shatter them with total destruction.

However, if that nation I have made an announcement about turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the disaster I had planned to do to it.

Say: Hear the word of the Lord, kings of Judah and residents of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on this place that everyone who hears about it will shudder

“This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I am about to bring on this city—and on all its dependent villages—all the disaster that I spoke against it, for they have become obstinate, not obeying My words.’”

For I have turned against this city to bring disaster and not good’”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “‘It will be handed over to the king of Babylon, who will burn it down.’

Therefore, their way will be to themlike slippery paths in the gloom.They will be driven away and fall down there,for I will bring disaster on them,the year of their punishment.This is the Lord’s declaration.

I will make them an object of horror and disaster to all the kingdoms of the earth, a disgrace, an object of scorn, ridicule, and cursing, wherever I have banished them.

“‘But you would not obey Me’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘in order that you might provoke Me to anger by the work of your hands and bring disaster on yourselves.’

For I am already bringing disaster on the city that bears My name, so how could you possibly go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.

“This is what the Lord of Hosts says:Pay attention! Disaster spreadsfrom nation to nation.A great storm is stirred upfrom the ends of the earth.”

Perhaps they will listen and return—each from his evil way of life—so that I might relent concerning the disaster that I plan to do to them because of the evil of their deeds.

So now, correct your ways and deeds and obey the voice of the Lord your God so that He might relent concerning the disaster that He warned about.

Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all the people of Judah put him to death? Did he not fear the Lord and plead for the Lord’s favor, and did not the Lord relent concerning the disaster He had pronounced against them? We are about to bring great harm on ourselves!”

The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, disaster, and plague against many lands and great kingdoms.

For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Just as I watched over them to uproot and to tear them down, to demolish and to destroy, and to cause disaster, so will I be attentive to build and to plant them,” says the Lord.

They entered and possessed it, but they did not obey Your voice or live according to Your instructions. They failed to perform all You commanded them to do, and so You have brought all this disaster on them.

“For this is what the Lord says: Just as I have brought all this great disaster on these people, so am I about to bring on them all the good I am promising them.

Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I will certainly bring to Judah and to all the residents of Jerusalem all the disaster I have pronounced against them because I have spoken to them, but they have not obeyed, and I have called to them, but they would not answer.”

Perhaps when the house of Judah hears about all the disaster I am planning to bring on them, each one of them will turn from his evil way. Then I will forgive their wrongdoing and their sin.”

I will punish him, his descendants, and his officers for their wrongdoing. I will bring on them, on the residents of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah all the disaster, which I warned them about but they did not listen.”

The officials then said to the king, “This man ought to die, because he is weakening the morale of the warriors who remain in this city and of all the people by speaking to them in this way. This man is not seeking the well-being of this people, but disaster.”

The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lord your God decreed this disaster on this place,

‘If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will rebuild and not demolish you, and I will plant and not uproot you, because I relent concerning the disaster that I have brought on you.

All who resolve to go to Egypt to live there for a while will die by the sword, famine, and plague. They will have no one escape or survive from the disaster I will bring on them.’

“This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: You have seen all the disaster I brought against Jerusalem and all Judah’s cities; look, they are a ruin today without an inhabitant in them

“Therefore, this is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn against you to bring disaster, to cut off all Judah.

Instead, we will do everything we said we would: burn incense to the queen of heaven and offer drink offerings to her just as we, our fathers, our kings, and our officials did in Judah’s cities and in Jerusalem’s streets. Then we had enough food and good things and saw no disaster,

Because you burned incense and sinned against the Lord and didn’t obey the Lord’s voice and didn’t follow His instruction, His statutes, and His testimonies, this disaster has come to you, as you see today.”

I am watching over them for disaster and not for good, and every man of Judah who is in the land of Egypt will meet his end by sword or famine until they are finished off.

This will be a sign to you’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘that I am about to punish you in this place, so you may know that My words of disaster concerning you will certainly come to pass.

But as for you, do you seek great things for yourself? Stop seeking! For I am about to bring disaster on every living creature’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘but I will grant you your life like the spoils of war wherever you go.’”