Bible Verses

The Best 50+ Bible Verses About Bad People

Updated:
February 28, 2025
|
Author:
Joseph Cox

Ever wondered what the Bible says about bad people? This article brings together 50 verses that shed light on this topic.

From warnings to wisdom, these verses offer a range of insights. (Some might surprise you.)

50 Bible Verses About Bad People

10 Bible Verses on Bad People and Their Actions

Proverbs 6:16-19
  • "These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren." — Proverbs 6:16-19
  • "Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb." — Psalm 37:1-2
  • "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." — Galatians 5:19-21
  • "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." — Matthew 7:15
  • "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" — Jeremiah 17:9
  • "Being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful." — Romans 1:29-31
  • "Not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous." — 1 John 3:12
  • "The thoughts of the righteous are right, But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful." — Proverbs 12:5
  • "For the foolish person will speak foolishness, And his heart will work iniquity: To practice ungodliness, To utter error against the Lord, To keep the hungry unsatisfied, And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail." — Isaiah 32:6
  • "Woe to those who devise iniquity, And work out evil on their beds! At morning light they practice it, Because it is in the power of their hand." — Micah 2:1

10 Bible Verses on Consequences of Bad People

Proverbs 11:21
  • "Though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished; But the posterity of the righteous will be delivered." — Proverbs 11:21
  • "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." — Galatians 6:7
  • "He has brought on them their own iniquity, And shall cut them off in their own wickedness; The Lord our God shall cut them off." — Psalm 94:23
  • "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin." — Ezekiel 18:30
  • "Even as I have seen, Those who plow iniquity And sow trouble reap the same." — Job 4:8
  • "He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow, And the rod of his anger will fail." — Proverbs 22:8
  • "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment." — Matthew 12:36
  • "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." — Revelation 21:8
  • "Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you." — 2 Thessalonians 1:6
  • "Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors." — Psalm 73:18-19

10 Bible Verses on Bad People in History

Genesis 4:8
  • "Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him." — Genesis 4:8
  • "And he said to them, 'Thus says the Lord God of Israel: "Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor."' So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day." — Exodus 32:27-28
  • "Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him." — 1 Kings 16:30-33
  • "Now there was also a man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjath Jearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah. And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death; but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid and fled and went to Egypt. Then Jehoiakim the king sent men to Egypt: Elnathan the son of Achbor, and other men who went with him to Egypt. And they brought Urijah from Egypt and brought him to Jehoiakim the king, who killed him with the sword and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people." — Jeremiah 26:20-23
  • "Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, 'I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.' And they said, 'What is that to us? You see to it!' Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself." — Matthew 27:3-5
  • "Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry. (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.) 'For it is written in the Book of Psalms: "Let his dwelling place be desolate, And let no one live in it"; and, "Let another take his office."' — Acts 1:16-20
  • "For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, 'For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.'" — Romans 9:17
  • "And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly." — 2 Peter 2:6
  • "Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah." — Jude 1:11
  • "Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols." — Revelation 2:20

10 Bible Verses on Bad People and Redemption

Ephesians 2:1-3
  • "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others." — Ephesians 2:1-3
  • "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." — 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
  • "As it is written: 'There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.'" — Romans 3:10-12
  • "They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work." — Titus 1:16
  • "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!" — 2 Timothy 3:1-5
  • "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." — James 4:4
  • "Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation." — 1 Peter 2:12
  • "To do evil is like sport to a fool, But a man of understanding has wisdom." — Proverbs 10:23
  • "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies." — Matthew 15:19
  • "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." — Luke 6:45

10 Bible Verses on Characteristics of Bad People

Proverbs 21:4
  • "A haughty look, a proud heart, And the plowing of the wicked are sin." — Proverbs 21:4
  • "Their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; Wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they have not known, And there is no justice in their ways; They have made themselves crooked paths; Whoever takes that way shall not know peace." — Isaiah 59:7-8
  • "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness." — Romans 1:18
  • "But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." — 2 Timothy 3:13
  • "An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes." — Psalm 36:1
  • "Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on. For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall." — Proverbs 4:14-16
  • "Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." — Matthew 12:34
  • "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." — 1 John 1:6
  • "Evil men do not understand justice, But those who seek the Lord understand all." — Proverbs 28:5
  • "Your dwelling place is in the midst of deceit; Through deceit they refuse to know Me,” says the Lord." — Jeremiah 9:6

What Does the Bible Say About Bad People

The Bible has a lot to say about bad people, offering wisdom and guidance on how to recognize and deal with them. It’s not just about pointing fingers but understanding the deeper issues at play. These verses help us see the bigger picture and encourage us to live better lives.

One key theme is the actions of bad people. Verses like Proverbs 6:16-19 and Galatians 5:19-21 list behaviors that are harmful and destructive. These actions, such as lying, jealousy, and violence, are things we should avoid. Recognizing these traits can help us steer clear of negative influences.

Another important theme is the consequences of bad behavior. The Bible makes it clear that actions have repercussions. For example, Galatians 6:7 says, "whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." This reminds us that our choices matter and encourages us to make better ones.

The Bible also gives us examples of bad people in history, like Cain and Judas. These stories serve as warnings and lessons. They show us the outcomes of bad choices and the importance of staying true to good values.

Finally, there’s hope for redemption. Verses like Ephesians 2:1-3 remind us that change is possible. Even if we’ve made mistakes, we can turn things around. This message of hope encourages us to strive for better and seek forgiveness.

How to Apply These Bible Verses About Bad People

Applying Bible teachings about bad people in real life is crucial for personal growth and maintaining healthy relationships. These verses offer practical wisdom that can guide our actions and decisions every day.

  • Reflect Daily: Spend a few minutes each day reading and reflecting on a Bible verse. This can help you stay grounded and mindful of your actions.
  • Practice Kindness: Make a habit of showing kindness, even to those who may not deserve it. This can be as simple as offering a smile or a helping hand.
  • Pray for Guidance: Ask God for wisdom and strength to avoid negative influences and make better choices. A simple prayer in the morning can set a positive tone for the day.
  • Join a Community: Get involved in a church group or community service. Surrounding yourself with positive influences can help you stay on the right path.
  • Set Boundaries: Learn to recognize harmful behaviors and set boundaries to protect yourself. This can mean distancing yourself from toxic relationships.

Remember, God is always with you, guiding and supporting you. Faith-driven transformation is possible, and every small step counts. For more prayers and Bible verses, visit PrayersFor or try our Bible Verse Generator to deepen your understanding and faith.

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