25 Bible Verses About People Who Are Mean (NIV)

²¹ Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you- ²² for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.

¹ Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; ² for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. ³ Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. ⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. ⁵ Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: ⁶ He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. ⁷ Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. ⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret-it leads only to evil. ⁹ For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. ¹⁰ A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. ¹¹ But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. ¹² The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; ¹³ but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. ¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. ¹⁵ But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. ¹⁶ Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; ¹⁷ for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous. ¹⁸ The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever. ¹⁹ In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. ²⁰ But the wicked will perish: The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish-vanish like smoke. ²¹ The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; ²² those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off. ²³ If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; ²⁴ though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand. ²⁵ I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. ²⁶ They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed. ²⁷ Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. ²⁸ For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off; ²⁹ the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. ³⁰ The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. ³¹ The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip. ³² The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives; ³³ but the LORD will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned when brought to trial. ³⁴ Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it. ³⁵ I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, ³⁶ but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found. ³⁷ Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace. ³⁸ But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off. ³⁹ The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. ⁴⁰ The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

¹ O God, whom I praise, do not remain silent, ² for wicked and deceitful men have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues. ³ With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause. ⁴ In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. ⁵ They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship. ⁶ Appoint an evil man to oppose him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. ⁷ When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him. ⁸ May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. ⁹ May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. ¹⁰ May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes. ¹¹ May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor. ¹² May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children. ¹³ May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation. ¹⁴ May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out. ¹⁵ May their sins always remain before the LORD, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth. ¹⁶ For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted. ¹⁷ He loved to pronounce a curse- may it come on him; he found no pleasure in blessing- may it be far from him. ¹⁸ He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil. ¹⁹ May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him. ²⁰ May this be the LORD's payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me. ²¹ But you, O Sovereign LORD, deal well with me for your name's sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. ²² For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. ²³ I fade away like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust. ²⁴ My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt. ²⁵ I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads. ²⁶ Help me, O LORD my God; save me in accordance with your love. ²⁷ Let them know that it is your hand, that you, O LORD, have done it. ²⁸ They may curse, but you will bless; when they attack they will be put to shame, but your servant will rejoice. ²⁹ My accusers will be clothed with disgrace and wrapped in shame as in a cloak. ³⁰ With my mouth I will greatly extol the LORD; in the great throng I will praise him. ³¹ For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him.

¹⁷ A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.

²⁷ "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

¹⁷ I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

⁶ And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,

²⁷ "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. ² Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. ³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. ⁴ Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. ⁷ If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸ if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. ⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. ¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

²⁰ He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

¹⁷ If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

¹¹ But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

¹ Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! ² The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. ³ He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. ⁴ He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. ⁵ Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. ⁶ The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground. ⁷ Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp. ⁸ He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. ⁹ He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. ¹⁰ His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; ¹¹ the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. ¹² Extol the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion, ¹³ for he strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you. ¹⁴ He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat. ¹⁵ He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. ¹⁶ He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. ¹⁷ He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast? ¹⁸ He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow. ¹⁹ He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. ²⁰ He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws. Praise the LORD.

²⁴ I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins."

¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

¹⁸ The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great--and for destroying those who destroy the earth."

³ The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

⁹ He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.