Bible Verses About Wise Counsel

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to counsel.”

“For lack of guidance, a nation falls, but with many counselors comes deliverance.”

“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”

“Only with sound guidance should you wage war, and victory lies in a multitude of counselors.”

“Arrogance leads only to strife, but wisdom is with the well-advised.”

“Set plans by consultation, and wage war under sound guidance.”

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

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

“He who trusts in himself is a fool, but one who walks in wisdom will be safe.”

“Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does. Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD guards the path of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”

“Hold on to instruction; do not let go. Guard it, for it is your life.”

“Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How do you advise me to respond to these people?” he asked. They replied, “If you will be a servant to these people and serve them this day, and if you will respond by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.” But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders; instead, he consulted the young men who had grown up with him and served him. He asked them, “What message do you advise that we send back to these people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?” The young men who had grown up with him replied, “This is how you should answer these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you must make it lighter.’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! Whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.’” After three days, Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, since the king had said, “Come back to me on the third day.” And the king answered the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the elders and spoke to them as the young men had advised, saying, “Whereas my father made your yoke heavy, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.” So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word He had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite. When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse? To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David!” So the Israelites went home, but Rehoboam still reigned over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah. Then King Rehoboam sent out Adoram, who was in charge of the forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste and escaped to Jerusalem. So to this day Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David.”

“My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for they will add length to your days, years and peace to your life. Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will find favor and high regard in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil. This will bring healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke; for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights. Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who acquires understanding, for she is more profitable than silver, and her gain is better than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. All her ways are pleasant, and all her paths are peaceful. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who lay hold of her are blessed. The LORD founded the earth by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding. By His knowledge the watery depths were broken open, and the clouds dripped with dew. My son, do not lose sight of this: Preserve sound judgment and discernment. They will be life to your soul and adornment to your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you rest, your sleep will be sweet. Do not fear sudden danger or the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from the snare. Do not withhold good from the deserving when it is within your power to act. Do not tell your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I will provide”— when you already have the means. Do not devise evil against your neighbor, for he trustfully dwells beside you. Do not accuse a man without cause, when he has done you no harm. Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways; for the LORD detests the perverse, but He is a friend to the upright. The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the righteous. He mocks the mockers, but gives grace to the humble. The wise will inherit honor, but fools are held up to shame.”

“He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.”

“The wounds of a friend are faithful, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”

“But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”

“We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.”

“You guide me with Your counsel, and later receive me in glory.”

“Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will increase his learning.”

“A fool vents all his anger, but a wise man holds it back.”

“Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.”

“The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD.”

“However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come.”

“Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing.”

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

“There is an abundance of gold and rubies, but lips of knowledge are a rare treasure.”

“For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.”

“But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit of righteousness.”

“How much better to acquire wisdom than gold! To gain understanding is more desirable than silver.”

“Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight and strength.”

“Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.”

“It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.”

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.”

“Wisdom is found with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life.”

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”

“For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.”

“Oil and incense bring joy to the heart, and the counsel of a friend is sweetness to the soul.”

“Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

“These are the proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel, for gaining wisdom and discipline, for comprehending words of insight, and for receiving instruction in wise living and in righteousness, justice, and equity. To impart prudence to the simple and knowledge and discretion to the young, let the wise listen and gain instruction, and the discerning acquire wise counsel by understanding the proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother. For they are a garland of grace on your head and a pendant around your neck. My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them. If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause, let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole like those descending into the Pit. We will find all manner of precious goods; we will fill our houses with plunder. Throw in your lot with us; let us all share one purse” — my son, do not walk the road with them or set foot upon their path. For their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed blood. How futile it is to spread the net where any bird can see it! But they lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush their own lives. Such is the fate of all who are greedy, whose unjust gain takes the lives of its possessors. Wisdom calls out in the street, she lifts her voice in the square; in the main concourse she cries aloud, at the city gates she makes her speech: “How long, O simple ones, will you love your simple ways? How long will scoffers delight in their scorn and fools hate knowledge? If you had repented at my rebuke, then surely I would have poured out my spirit on you; I would have made my words known to you. Because you refused my call, and no one took my outstretched hand, because you neglected all my counsel, and wanted none of my correction, in turn I will mock your calamity; I will sneer when terror strikes you, when your dread comes like a storm, and your destruction like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish overwhelm you. Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will earnestly seek me, but will not find me. For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD. They accepted none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof. So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the waywardness of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But whoever listens to me will dwell in safety, secure from the fear of evil.”

“He who acquires wisdom loves himself; one who safeguards understanding will find success.”

“O LORD, You are my God! I will exalt You; I will praise Your name. For You have worked wonders — plans formed long ago — in perfect faithfulness.”

“When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.”

“A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.”

“The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks it out.”

“Better a poor man who walks with integrity than a fool whose lips are perverse. Even zeal is no good without knowledge, and he who hurries his footsteps misses the mark. A man’s own folly subverts his way, yet his heart rages against the LORD. Wealth attracts many friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend. A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies will not escape. Many seek the favor of the prince, and everyone is a friend of the gift giver. All the brothers of a poor man hate him — how much more do his friends avoid him! He may pursue them with pleading, but they are nowhere to be found. He who acquires wisdom loves himself; one who safeguards understanding will find success. A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who pours out lies will perish. Luxury is unseemly for a fool— how much worse for a slave to rule over princes! A man’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense. A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass. A foolish son is his father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping. Houses and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD. Laziness brings on deep sleep, and an idle soul will suffer hunger. He who keeps a commandment preserves his soul, but he who is careless in his ways will die. Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender. Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be party to his death. A man of great anger must pay the penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do so again. Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days. Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail. The desire of a man is loving devotion; better to be poor than a liar. The fear of the LORD leads to life, that one may rest content, without visitation from harm. The slacker buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth. Strike a mocker, and the simple will beware; rebuke the discerning man, and he will gain knowledge. He who assaults his father or evicts his mother is a son who brings shame and disgrace. If you cease to hear instruction, my son, you will stray from the words of knowledge. A corrupt witness mocks justice, and a wicked mouth swallows iniquity. Judgments are prepared for mockers, and beatings for the backs of fools.”

“Let another praise you, and not your own mouth— a stranger, and not your own lips.”

“Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

“A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.”

“The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations.”