Bible verses about "self-defense" | Godbey

¹ Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit, to be tempted by the devil. ² And having fasted forty days and forty nights, He afterward hungered. ³ And the tempter having come to Him, said; If thou art the Son of God, speak in order that these stones may become bread. ⁴ And He responding said; It has been written, A man shall not live upon bread alone, but upon every word coming forth through the mouth of God. ⁵ Then the devil takes Him into the holy city and stood Him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ and says to Him; If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down; for it has been written, That He will give His angels charge concerning thee, and upon their hand they will bear thee, lest thou mayest dash thy foot against a stone. ⁷ Jesus said to him; Again it has been written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. ⁸ Again the devil takes Him into an exceedingly high mountain, and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of the same, ⁹ and said to Him; All these things will I give unto thee, ¹⁰ If having fallen down thou mayest worship me: then Jesus says to him, Get behind me, Satan; for it has been written; Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. ¹¹ Then the devil leaveth Him; and behold, the angels came to Him and continued to minister unto Him. ¹² And Jesus having heard that John was cast into prison, departed into Galilee. ¹³ And having left Nazareth, having come into Capernaum, by the seaside, in the borders of Zabulon and Naphtali, He dwelt there; ¹⁴ in order that the word having been spoken by Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ¹⁵ Thou land Zabulon and land Naphtali, way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, ¹⁶ the people sitting in darkness saw a great light, and to those sitting in the valley and shadow of death, light sprang up. ¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent; for the kingdom of the heavens draweth nigh. ¹⁸ And He walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting their net into the sea; for they were fishers. ¹⁹ And He says to them, Follow after me, and I will make you fishers of men. ²⁰ And immediately, having left their nets, they followed Him. ²¹ And going forth from thence, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. ²² And immediately having left the ship and their father, they followed Him. ²³ And Jesus was going round all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every malady among the people. ²⁴ And His fame went forth into all Syria: and they brought Him all who were sick, afflicted with various diseases and torments, and the demonized, and the lunatics, and the paralytics; and He healed them. ²⁵ And many multitudes followed Him from Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and beyond the Jordan.

¹ And seeing the multitudes, He went up into the mountain; and having sat down, His disciples came to Him. ² And having opened His mouth He taught them, saying; ³ Blessed are the poor in spirit: because the kingdom of the heavens is theirs. ⁴ Blessed are the meek, because they shall inherit the earth. ⁵ Blessed are they that mourn: because they shall be comforted. ⁶ Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: because they shall be filled. ⁷ Blessed are the merciful: because they shall receive mercy. ⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart: because they shall see God. ⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers: because they shall be called the sons of God. ¹⁰ Blessed are they, who are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for the kingdom of the heavens is theirs. ¹¹ Blessed are ye when they may despise you, and shall persecute you, and may say all evil against you, falsifying, for my sake. ¹² Rejoice, and he exceedingly glad: because your reward is great in the heavens: for in this manner they persecuted the prophets who were before you. ¹³ Ye are the salt of the earth; and if the salt may lose its savor, in what shall it be salted? It is yet without value, except having been cast out, to be trodden under feet by the people. ¹⁴ Ye are the light of the world. A city sitting on a mountain is unable to be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do they light a candle, and place it under a bushel, but on the candlestick; and it shineth to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before the people, in order that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in the heavens. ¹⁷ Think not that I came to destroy the law of the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For truly I say unto you, Until heaven and earth may pass away, one jot or tittle can not pass from the law, until all things may be accomplished. ¹⁹ Therefore if any one may break one of the least of these commandments, and so teach the people, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of the heavens: but whosoever may do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens. ²⁰ For I say unto you, that if your righteousness may not abound more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you can not enter into the kingdom of the heavens. ²¹ You have heard that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not murder; and whosoever may murder shall be in danger of the judgment; ²² but I say unto you that every one being angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever may say to his brother, Thou scoundrel, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever may say, Thou fool, shall be liable unto a hell of fire. ²³ Therefore if you may bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave there your gift before the altar, and go, first be reconciled to your brother, then having come offer your gift. ²⁵ Be reconciled with your adversary quickly, while you are in the way with him; lest the adversary may deliver you to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you may be cast into prison. ²⁶ Truly I say unto you, You can not go out from thence until you have paid the last farthing. ²⁷ You have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not commit adultery. ²⁸ But I say unto you that every one looking on a woman in order to lust after her hath already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable to thee that one of thy members may perish, and not that thy whole body may go away into hell. ³⁰ OMITTED TEXT ³¹ And it was said, Whosoever may send away his wife, let him give her a divorcement. ³² But I say unto you, that every one sending away his wife, except on account of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever may marry her who has been cast off commits adultery. ³³ Again you have heard that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not swear falsely, but shall perform unto the Lord thine oaths. ³⁴ But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven, because it is the throne of God; ³⁵ nor by the earth, because it is the footstool of His feet; neither by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. ³⁶ Neither swear by thy head, because thou art unable to make one hair white or black. ³⁷ But let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; but that which aboundeth more than these is of the evil one. ³⁸ You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. ³⁹ But I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smites thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also: ⁴⁰ to him wishing to prosecute thee at law, and take away thy coat, let him have the cloak also. ⁴¹ Whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him two. ⁴² Give to the one asking thee, and do not turn away from the one wishing to borrow from thee. ⁴³ You have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy. ⁴⁴ But I say unto you, Love your enemies with a divine love, bless those who curse you and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you: ⁴⁵ in order that you may be the sons of your Father who is in the heavens: because He raises up His sun on the wicked and on the good, and rains on the righteous and on the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ For if you love those that love you, what reward have ye? because the publicans also do the same. ⁴⁷ If you salute your brethren only, what do ye more abundantly? do not the heathens also the same thing? ⁴⁸ Therefore ye shall be perfect, as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.

⁵² Then Jesus says to him, Turn away thy sword into its place; for all taking the sword shall perish by the sword. ⁵³ Whether do you think that I am not able now to call upon my Father, and He will send me more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴ How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, because it is necessary thus to be done?

³⁸ You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. ³⁹ But I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smites thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also:

³⁶ And He said to them; But now, let the one having a purse, take it, likewise also valise: and let the one having no sword, sell his cloak and buy one.

⁴ for he is the minister of God for you for good. But if you do evil, fear; for he bears not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, executing judgment unto wrath unto the one doing evil.

⁸ But if any one provides not for his own, and especially those of his own house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.