100 Bible Verses about Taking A Life

Exodus 20:13 ESV / 282 helpful votes

“You shall not murder.

Genesis 9:6 ESV / 223 helpful votes

“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

Exodus 21:12 ESV / 179 helpful votes

“Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death.

Romans 13:9 ESV / 135 helpful votes

For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

1 John 3:15 ESV / 132 helpful votes

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

Matthew 5:21-22 ESV / 129 helpful votes

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Exodus 21:12-14 ESV / 122 helpful votes

“Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death. But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.

Deuteronomy 5:17 ESV / 109 helpful votes

“‘You shall not murder.

John 8:7 ESV / 96 helpful votes

And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Proverbs 6:16-17 ESV / 96 helpful votes

There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

Revelation 21:8 ESV / 85 helpful votes

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Leviticus 24:17 ESV / 84 helpful votes

“Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death.

Deuteronomy 19:11-13 ESV / 76 helpful votes

“But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die. Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may be well with you.

Proverbs 24:11 ESV / 68 helpful votes

Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.

Numbers 35:11-34 ESV / 59 helpful votes

Then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there. The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment. And the cities that you give shall be your six cities of refuge. You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge. These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there. ...

Matthew 19:18 ESV / 53 helpful votes

He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness,

Jeremiah 1:5 ESV / 46 helpful votes

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

1 Peter 2:16 ESV / 41 helpful votes

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

Genesis 4:9-11 ESV / 34 helpful votes

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

1 Samuel 2:6 ESV / 33 helpful votes

The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.

Numbers 35:30-34 ESV / 33 helpful votes

“If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death. And you shall accept no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest. You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it. You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, for I the Lord dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.”

Psalm 51:14 ESV / 28 helpful votes

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.

Deuteronomy 19:11-12 ESV / 27 helpful votes

“But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die.

Genesis 9:5-6 ESV / 26 helpful votes

And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

Romans 12:19 ESV / 25 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.”

Matthew 26:52 ESV / 24 helpful votes

Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.

Hebrews 9:27 ESV / 22 helpful votes

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

Deuteronomy 30:19 ESV / 20 helpful votes

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,

Numbers 35:31 ESV / 20 helpful votes

Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death.

Hebrews 4:12 ESV / 19 helpful votes

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

John 11:25-26 ESV / 18 helpful votes

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV / 18 helpful votes

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

1 Timothy 6:12 ESV / 17 helpful votes

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Numbers 35:30-31 ESV / 17 helpful votes

“If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death.

Ephesians 5:15-17 ESV / 16 helpful votes

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Exodus 21:22 ESV / 16 helpful votes

“When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV / 15 helpful votes

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Job 1:21 ESV / 15 helpful votes

And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Luke 1:44 ESV / 14 helpful votes

For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

Matthew 19:26 ESV / 14 helpful votes

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Exodus 23:7 ESV / 14 helpful votes

Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked.

John 14:6 ESV / 13 helpful votes

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Matthew 6:34 ESV / 13 helpful votes

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Proverbs 18:21 ESV / 13 helpful votes

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Numbers 35:33-34 ESV / 13 helpful votes

You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it. You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, for I the Lord dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV / 12 helpful votes

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Deuteronomy 27:25 ESV / 12 helpful votes

“‘Cursed be anyone who takes a bribe to shed innocent blood.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

Genesis 2:7 ESV / 12 helpful votes

Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

James 4:14 ESV / 11 helpful votes

Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

1 Corinthians 6:19 ESV / 11 helpful votes

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

Romans 5:10 ESV / 10 helpful votes

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Proverbs 14:27 ESV / 10 helpful votes

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.

John 8:12 ESV / 9 helpful votes

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 3:16 ESV / 9 helpful votes

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16-17 ESV / 9 helpful votes

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Luke 1:15 ESV / 9 helpful votes

For he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.

Matthew 5:21 ESV / 9 helpful votes

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV / 9 helpful votes

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

1 Chronicles 16:11 ESV / 9 helpful votes

Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 ESV / 9 helpful votes

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Genesis 2:9 ESV / 9 helpful votes

And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

1 John 5:20 ESV / 8 helpful votes

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

Romans 6:23 ESV / 8 helpful votes

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Acts 17:25 ESV / 8 helpful votes

Nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

John 10:10 ESV / 8 helpful votes

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Luke 12:40 ESV / 8 helpful votes

You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Matthew 15:19 ESV / 8 helpful votes

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Job 33:4 ESV / 8 helpful votes

The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

Judges 9:50-57 ESV / 8 helpful votes

Then Abimelech went to Thebez and encamped against Thebez and captured it. But there was a strong tower within the city, and all the men and women and all the leaders of the city fled to it and shut themselves in, and they went up to the roof of the tower. And Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it and drew near to the door of the tower to burn it with fire. And a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head and crushed his skull. Then he called quickly to the young man his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’” And his young man thrust him through, and he died. ...

Deuteronomy 27:24 ESV / 8 helpful votes

“‘Cursed be anyone who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

Leviticus 24:17-18 ESV / 8 helpful votes

“Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death. Whoever takes an animal's life shall make it good, life for life.

Genesis 4:8-10 ESV / 8 helpful votes

Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.

Romans 8:31 ESV / 7 helpful votes

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Matthew 6:26-27 ESV / 7 helpful votes

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Proverbs 3:7 ESV / 7 helpful votes

Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

Psalm 119:105 ESV / 7 helpful votes

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Psalm 16:11 ESV / 7 helpful votes

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Genesis 3:22-23 ESV / 7 helpful votes

Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.

Genesis 1:20 ESV / 7 helpful votes

And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.”

1 John 1:9 ESV / 6 helpful votes

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

Hebrews 4:2 ESV / 6 helpful votes

For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.

2 Corinthians 9:8 ESV / 6 helpful votes

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

Mark 8:36-37 ESV / 6 helpful votes

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?

Mark 8:34-35 ESV / 6 helpful votes

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.

Mark 1:15 ESV / 6 helpful votes

And saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Matthew 14:30-31 ESV / 6 helpful votes

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Isaiah 49:1 ESV / 6 helpful votes

Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.

2 Kings 7:4 ESV / 6 helpful votes

If we say, ‘Let us enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. So now come, let us go over to the camp of the Syrians. If they spare our lives we shall live, and if they kill us we shall but die.”

Proverbs 6:23 ESV / 5 helpful votes

For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,

1 John 3:12 ESV / 4 helpful votes

We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.

James 4:2 ESV / 4 helpful votes

You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.

Ephesians 5:15-16 ESV / 4 helpful votes

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV / 4 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; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Romans 13:4 ESV / 4 helpful votes

For he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.

Acts 17:26 ESV / 4 helpful votes

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,

Luke 18:20 ESV / 4 helpful votes

You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’”

Matthew 5:38-39 ESV / 4 helpful votes

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Matthew 5:22 ESV / 4 helpful votes

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Jeremiah 7:6 ESV / 4 helpful votes

If you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm,

Ecclesiastes 3:3 ESV / 4 helpful votes

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

Suggest a Verse


Visit the Bible online to search for words if you don’t know the specific passage your’re looking for.