100 Bible Verses About Discernment

Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?

My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.

Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?

Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.

When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.

And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.

That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.

Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.

With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.

Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

And he hath slandered thy servant unto my lord the king; but my lord the king is as an angel of God: do therefore what is good in thine eyes.

Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:

And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean.

This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:

I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:

The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.

The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.

Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.

How then comfort ye me in vain, seeing in your answers there remaineth falsehood?

And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.

And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

I am the God of Beth–el, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.

Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware: and reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge.

And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

For the ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meat.

Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.

And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?

Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

The prince that wanteth understanding is also a great oppressor: but he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days.

Wherefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?

But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.

And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.

Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert of the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them.

But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him.

A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.

For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.

He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass.

Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.

So every man of Israel went up from after David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri: but the men of Judah clave unto their king, from Jordan even to Jerusalem.

And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;

Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time.

As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.

Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.

For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.

They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.

And the Lord said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.

Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war.

And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:

When I shall receive the congregation I will judge uprightly.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.

And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes.

Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.

Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.

And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.

Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise men turn away wrath.

Then he made a porch for the throne where he might judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with cedar from one side of the floor to the other.

Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them.

I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.

Let men of understanding tell me, and let a wise man hearken unto me.

They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.

Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:

Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.

How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him?

A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.

And when Joab was come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, which brought him again from the well of Sirah: but David knew it not.

Then the priest shall look: and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be darkish white; it is a freckled spot that groweth in the skin; he is clean.

And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?

Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city.

For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes.

I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.

And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and did not intend to go up against them in battle, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.

And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.

Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel:

And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.

There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the Lord will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him.

But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.

Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and it be in sight deeper than the skin; it is a leprosy broken out of the burning: wherefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy.

My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:

The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit.

And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.

For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.