100 Bible Verses about Strife And Bitterness

Hebrews 12:15 ESV / 12 helpful votes

See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

Ephesians 4:31 ESV / 12 helpful votes

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

James 3:14 ESV / 9 helpful votes

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.

Hebrews 12:14-15 ESV / 8 helpful votes

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

Matthew 6:14-15 ESV / 8 helpful votes

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Ephesians 4:31-32 ESV / 7 helpful votes

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:26-27 ESV / 7 helpful votes

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.

Proverbs 29:22 ESV / 7 helpful votes

A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.

1 John 2:9 ESV / 6 helpful votes

Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.

James 1:19-20 ESV / 6 helpful votes

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Colossians 3:8 ESV / 6 helpful votes

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

Philippians 2:3 ESV / 6 helpful votes

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Romans 12:17-21 ESV / 6 helpful votes

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Proverbs 10:12 ESV / 6 helpful votes

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

Galatians 5:19-21 ESV / 5 helpful votes

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Ecclesiastes 7:9 ESV / 5 helpful votes

Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.

Proverbs 19:11 ESV / 5 helpful votes

Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

Proverbs 15:18 ESV / 5 helpful votes

A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.

Job 10:1 ESV / 5 helpful votes

“I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 ESV / 4 helpful votes

Rejoice always,

Ephesians 4:32 ESV / 4 helpful votes

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:26 ESV / 4 helpful votes

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

2 Corinthians 12:20 ESV / 4 helpful votes

For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.

Romans 12:19 ESV / 4 helpful votes

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Romans 12:2 ESV / 4 helpful votes

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 1:29 ESV / 4 helpful votes

They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,

Mark 11:25 ESV / 4 helpful votes

And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Matthew 18:21-35 ESV / 4 helpful votes

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. ...

Matthew 6:12 ESV / 4 helpful votes

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Proverbs 20:3 ESV / 4 helpful votes

It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.

Proverbs 17:9 ESV / 4 helpful votes

Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.

Proverbs 14:10 ESV / 4 helpful votes

The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy.

Leviticus 19:18 ESV / 4 helpful votes

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

James 4:1 ESV / 3 helpful votes

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?

Titus 3:1-3 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

2 Timothy 2:24 ESV / 3 helpful votes

And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,

1 Timothy 3:3 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

Colossians 3:19 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.

Colossians 3:13 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Ephesians 4:22 ESV / 3 helpful votes

To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,

Galatians 5:20 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,

1 Corinthians 13:4 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

Romans 13:13 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.

Romans 8:28 ESV / 3 helpful votes

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 3:14 ESV / 3 helpful votes

“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”

Luke 6:37 ESV / 3 helpful votes

“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;

Matthew 18:15-17 ESV / 3 helpful votes

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

Proverbs 30:33 ESV / 3 helpful votes

For pressing milk produces curds, pressing the nose produces blood, and pressing anger produces strife.

Proverbs 28:25 ESV / 3 helpful votes

A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched.

Proverbs 26:20 ESV / 3 helpful votes

For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.

Proverbs 20:22 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.

Proverbs 18:19 ESV / 3 helpful votes

A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.

Proverbs 17:25 ESV / 3 helpful votes

A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.

Proverbs 17:14 ESV / 3 helpful votes

The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.

Proverbs 16:28 ESV / 3 helpful votes

A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.

Proverbs 15:1 ESV / 3 helpful votes

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 14:17 ESV / 3 helpful votes

A man of quick temper acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated.

Psalm 37:8 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

1 Samuel 30:6 ESV / 3 helpful votes

And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

Revelation 1:1-20 ESV / 2 helpful votes

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood ...

1 John 4:20 ESV / 2 helpful votes

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

1 John 1:9 ESV / 2 helpful votes

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 Peter 4:19 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

1 Peter 3:9 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

1 Peter 3:7 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

James 5:19 ESV / 2 helpful votes

My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,

James 4:7 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 3:16 ESV / 2 helpful votes

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

James 3:14-16 ESV / 2 helpful votes

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

James 3:14-15 ESV / 2 helpful votes

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

James 3:11 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?

James 1:26 ESV / 2 helpful votes

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.

James 1:19 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Hebrews 13:5 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Hebrews 12:11-15 ESV / 2 helpful votes

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

Hebrews 12:1-4 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

Hebrews 10:30 ESV / 2 helpful votes

For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

Titus 3:3 ESV / 2 helpful votes

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

Titus 1:7 ESV / 2 helpful votes

For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,

2 Timothy 2:23 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.

2 Timothy 2:23-25 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

1 Timothy 6:4 ESV / 2 helpful votes

He is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,

1 Timothy 2:8 ESV / 2 helpful votes

I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;

Colossians 3:12-13 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Philippians 2:14 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Do all things without grumbling or disputing,

Philippians 1:15 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.

Ephesians 4:30-32 ESV / 2 helpful votes

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:29-32 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:25 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

Galatians 6:13 ESV / 2 helpful votes

For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.

Galatians 5:26 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Galatians 5:21 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-20 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,

Galatians 5:15 ESV / 2 helpful votes

But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

2 Corinthians 10:12-13 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding. But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you.

2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV / 2 helpful votes

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

2 Corinthians 5:2 ESV / 2 helpful votes

For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,

1 Corinthians 14:20 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

1 Corinthians 5:8 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

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