BIBLE VERSES ON PERSECUTION
The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.
Genesis 19:13
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Genesis 50:20
But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread.
Exodus 1:12
The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
Exodus 2:23-25
I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them…
Exodus 3:7-8
And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.
Exodus 3:9
And God said, “I will be with you.”
Exodus 3:12
The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.
Exodus 3:15
I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery…
Exodus 3:16-17
So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.
Exodus 3:20
And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
Exodus 4:31
I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
Exodus 6:6-7
Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.
Exodus 14:13
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.
Exodus 14:14
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.
Exodus 14:15
The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.
Exodus 15:2
Your right hand, Lord, shattered the enemy.
Exodus 15:6
In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you. You unleashed your burning anger; it consumed them like stubble.
Exodus 15:7
You stretch out your right hand, and the earth swallows your enemies.
Exodus 15:12
In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed.
Exodus 15:13
I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid.
Leviticus 26:6
You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you.
Leviticus 26:7
Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.
Leviticus 26:8
I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.
Leviticus 26:12
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.
Leviticus 26:13
When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies.
Numbers 10:9
Rise up, Lord! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you.
Numbers 10:35
And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.
Numbers 14:9
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God.
Numbers 15:41
The Egyptians mistreated us and our ancestors, but when we cried out to the Lord, he heard our cry and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt.
Numbers 20:15-16
Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land.
Numbers 21:34
God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox.
Numbers 23:22
They marched out defiantly in full view of all the Egyptians, who were burying all their firstborn, whom the Lord had struck down among them; for the Lord had brought judgment on their gods.
Numbers 33:3-4
Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you…
Deuteronomy 1:29-30
The Lord said to me, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land.”
Deuteronomy 3:2
Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you.
Deuteronomy 3:22
But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.
Deuteronomy 7:10
You may say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?” But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. Moreover, the Lord your God will send the hornet among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished. Do not be terrified by them, for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God.
Deuteronomy 7:17-21
But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed. He will give their kings into your hand, and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand up against you; you will destroy them.
Deuteronomy 7:23-24
But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the Lord has promised you.
Deuteronomy 9:3
If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow – to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him and to hold fast to him – then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you.
Deuteronomy 11:22-23
…he will give you rest from all your enemies around you so that you will live in safety.
Deuteronomy 12:10
When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.
Deuteronomy 20:1
Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.
Deuteronomy 20:3-4
Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression.
Deuteronomy 26:7
The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.
Deuteronomy 28:7
The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you.
Deuteronomy 30:7
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:6
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
Deuteronomy 31:8
Strike down those who rise against him, his foes till they rise no more.
Deuteronomy 33:11
He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will tread on their heights.
Deuteronomy 33:29
No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Joshua 1:5
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
Joshua 3:5
Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.
Joshua 10:8
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.
Joshua 10:25
Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands.
Joshua 21:44
The Lord your God himself will push them out for your sake.
Joshua 23:5
“The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
Judges 6:12
“Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more…”
Judges 16:28
The Lord responded, “Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands.”
Judges 20:28
Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.
I Samuel 2:30
He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.
I Samuel 7:9
I have looked on my people, for their cry has reached me.
I Samuel 9:16
Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?
I Samuel 17:26
The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.
I Samuel 17:37
You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.
I Samuel 17:45-47
As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me.
II Samuel 5:20
Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight.
II Samuel 10:12
In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears. The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens shook; they trembled because he was angry.
II Samuel 22:7-8
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support.
II Samuel 22:17-19
“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
II Kings 6:16
Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.
II Kings 19:19
Who is it you have ridiculed and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!
II Kings 19:22
Because you rage against me and because your insolence has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will make you return by the way you came.
II Kings 19:28
If you have come to me in peace to help me, I am ready for you to join me. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free from violence, may the God of our ancestors see it and judge you.
I Chronicles 12:17
Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight.
I Chronicles 19:13
But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them.
II Chronicles 15:4
Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.
II Chronicles 20:6
For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.
II Chronicles 20:12
Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.
II Chronicles 20:15
You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.
II Chronicles 20:17
May the Lord see this and call you to account.
II Chronicles 24:22
…so stop opposing God, who is with me, or he will destroy you.
II Chronicles 35:21
But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.
II Chronicles 36:16
…our God has not forsaken us in our bondage.
Ezra 9:9
Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.
Nehemiah 4:14
Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.
Nehemiah 4:4-5
Rise up, Lord, confront them, bring them down; with your sword rescue me from the wicked. By your hand save me from such people, Lord, from those of this world whose reward is in this life. May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies; may their children gorge themselves on it, and may there be leftovers for their little ones.
Psalm 17:13-14
Rise up and help us; rescue us because of your unfailing love.
Psalm 44:26
Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.
Psalm 54:4
Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.
Psalm 60:5
Before our eyes, make known among the nations that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.
Psalm 79:10
He caused all who held them captive to show them mercy.
Psalm 106:46
Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.
Psalm 108:6
Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.
Psalm 108:12-13
The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.
Psalm 118:6-7
They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
Psalm 118:11
May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your precepts.
Psalm 119:78
Do not grant the wicked their desires, Lord; do not let their plans succeed.
Psalm 140:8
Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.
Psalm 142:6
Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free.
Proverbs 11:21
The violence of the wicked will drag them away, for they refuse to do what is right.
Proverbs 21:7
Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.
Isaiah 8:10
Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.
Isaiah 35:4
All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.
Isaiah 41:11-12
But now, this is what the Lord says — he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Isaiah 43:1-2
For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.
Isaiah 49:13
I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine. Then all mankind will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
Isaiah 49:26
He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me!
Isaiah 50:8
Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass, that you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction?
Isaiah 51:12-13
Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
Isaiah 54:4
For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined.
Isaiah 60:12
The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 60:14
Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 1:8
Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them.
Jeremiah 1:17
Lord, you understand; remember me and care for me. Avenge me on my persecutors. You are long-suffering—do not take me away; think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.
Jeremiah 15:15
I will save you from the hands of the wicked and deliver you from the grasp of the cruel.
Jeremiah 15:21
But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten.
Jeremiah 20:11
As for me, I am in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right. Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.
Jeremiah 26:14-15
For the Lord will deliver Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.
Jeremiah 31:11
For the Lord is a God of retribution; he will repay in full.
Jeremiah 51:56
Pay them back what they deserve, Lord, for what their hands have done.
Lamentations 3:64
“King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Daniel 3:16-18
“Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged? No, I will not.”
Joel 3:21
Your hand will be lifted up in triumph over your enemies, and all your foes will be destroyed.
Micah 5:9
The Lord their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock.
Zachariah 9:16
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:11-12
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Matthew 5:44
You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Matthew 10:22
Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.
Mark 10:29-30
You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.
Mark 13:9
Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
Mark 13:11
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us…salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
Luke 1:69,71
Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
Luke 6:22-23
But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Luke 6:27-28
I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.
Luke 12:4-5
And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.
Luke 18:7-8
But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves.
Luke 21:14
If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
John 15:18
Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.
Acts 5:38-39
“Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”
Acts 12:11
…we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Romans 5:2-4
If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
Romans 12:14
Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
Romans 12:19
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.
Romans 12:20
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
I Corinthians 3:16-17
He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.
II Corinthians 1:10
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
II Corinthians 4:8-9
For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body.
II Corinthians 4:11
In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
II Corinthians 8:2
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.
Philippians 1:12
And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
Philippians 1:14
What has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
Philippians 1:19
For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for Him.
Philippians 1:29
All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.
II Thessalonians 1:5-7