100 Bible Verses about Oppression

Psalm 9:9 ESV / 299 helpful votes

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Proverbs 14:31 ESV / 254 helpful votes

Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.

Isaiah 1:17 ESV / 252 helpful votes

Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

Psalm 72:4 ESV / 211 helpful votes

May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!

Psalm 34:18 ESV / 193 helpful votes

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Psalm 119:134 ESV / 173 helpful votes

Redeem me from man's oppression, that I may keep your precepts.

Zechariah 7:10 ESV / 166 helpful votes

Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”

Luke 4:18-19 ESV / 162 helpful votes

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

Psalm 146:7 ESV / 148 helpful votes

Who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free;

Proverbs 22:16 ESV / 140 helpful votes

Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.

Malachi 3:5 ESV / 133 helpful votes

“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

Isaiah 54:14 ESV / 113 helpful votes

In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you.

Psalm 103:6 ESV / 113 helpful votes

The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.

Psalm 91:1-16 ESV / 104 helpful votes

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, ...

Romans 12:19 ESV / 87 helpful votes

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

James 2:6 ESV / 86 helpful votes

But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court?

Jeremiah 5:25-29 ESV / 83 helpful votes

Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you. For wicked men are found among my people; they lurk like fowlers lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men. Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; therefore they have become great and rich; they have grown fat and sleek. They know no bounds in deeds of evil; they judge not with justice the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy. Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord, and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?”

John 14:26 ESV / 80 helpful votes

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Psalm 46:1 ESV / 79 helpful votes

To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Zechariah 7:9-10 ESV / 68 helpful votes

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”

Psalm 12:5 ESV / 68 helpful votes

“Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”

Ecclesiastes 7:7 ESV / 67 helpful votes

Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart.

Matthew 5:1-48 ESV / 60 helpful votes

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. ...

Jeremiah 22:13 ESV / 59 helpful votes

“Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages,

Proverbs 25:26 ESV / 58 helpful votes

Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.

Isaiah 10:1-3 ESV / 55 helpful votes

Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey! What will you do on the day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth?

Luke 11:46 ESV / 52 helpful votes

And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

Amos 4:1 ESV / 49 helpful votes

“Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’

1 Timothy 5:8 ESV / 47 helpful votes

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Isaiah 30:12 ESV / 45 helpful votes

Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them,

Exodus 23:6-7 ESV / 45 helpful votes

“You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit. Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked.

Psalm 82:3 ESV / 44 helpful votes

Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.

Leviticus 26:1-46 ESV / 43 helpful votes

“You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God. You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord. “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely. ...

Matthew 25:41-46 ESV / 42 helpful votes

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ ...

Deuteronomy 28:47-48 ESV / 42 helpful votes

Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you.

Psalm 94:20 ESV / 40 helpful votes

Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute?

Isaiah 41:10 ESV / 37 helpful votes

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Psalm 44:24 ESV / 36 helpful votes

Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?

Jeremiah 22:17 ESV / 35 helpful votes

But you have eyes and heart only for your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence.”

Ezekiel 22:7 ESV / 34 helpful votes

Father and mother are treated with contempt in you; the sojourner suffers extortion in your midst; the fatherless and the widow are wronged in you.

Psalm 42:9 ESV / 34 helpful votes

I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

1 John 4:4 ESV / 33 helpful votes

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Zechariah 9:8 ESV / 33 helpful votes

Then I will encamp at my house as a guard, so that none shall march to and fro; no oppressor shall again march over them, for now I see with my own eyes.

Psalm 43:2 ESV / 32 helpful votes

For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

Deuteronomy 26:7 ESV / 32 helpful votes

Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.

Isaiah 5:7 ESV / 31 helpful votes

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!

Exodus 3:9-10 ESV / 31 helpful votes

And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

Deuteronomy 28:1-68 ESV / 30 helpful votes

“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. ...

Ezekiel 22:29 ESV / 29 helpful votes

The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice.

1 Peter 5:8 ESV / 28 helpful votes

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

James 4:7 ESV / 27 helpful votes

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Ephesians 6:11 ESV / 27 helpful votes

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Ecclesiastes 5:8 ESV / 27 helpful votes

If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them.

Psalm 30:4-5 ESV / 26 helpful votes

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Luke 4:18 ESV / 25 helpful votes

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

Jeremiah 22:3 ESV / 25 helpful votes

Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.

1 Peter 5:7 ESV / 24 helpful votes

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Luke 10:19 ESV / 24 helpful votes

Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

Psalm 55:3 ESV / 24 helpful votes

Because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me.

1 John 5:18 ESV / 23 helpful votes

We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

Ecclesiastes 10:4 ESV / 23 helpful votes

If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest.

Psalm 37:1 ESV / 23 helpful votes

Of David. Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!

Job 36:15 ESV / 23 helpful votes

He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity.

Exodus 3:9 ESV / 23 helpful votes

And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.

Isaiah 59:13 ESV / 22 helpful votes

Transgressing, and denying the Lord, and turning back from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words.

Ephesians 6:12 ESV / 21 helpful votes

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Jeremiah 6:6 ESV / 21 helpful votes

For thus says the Lord of hosts: “Cut down her trees; cast up a siege mound against Jerusalem. This is the city that must be punished; there is nothing but oppression within her.

Isaiah 38:14 ESV / 21 helpful votes

Like a swallow or a crane I chirp; I moan like a dove. My eyes are weary with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be my pledge of safety!

Luke 10:30-37 ESV / 20 helpful votes

Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ...

Proverbs 22:22-23 ESV / 20 helpful votes

Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate, for the Lord will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them.

James 5:4 ESV / 19 helpful votes

Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

Psalm 72:14 ESV / 19 helpful votes

From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight.

Psalm 10:17-18 ESV / 19 helpful votes

O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

Matthew 26:52-54 ESV / 18 helpful votes

Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”

Matthew 5:38-39 ESV / 18 helpful votes

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Isaiah 10:1 ESV / 18 helpful votes

Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression,

Ephesians 6:13 ESV / 17 helpful votes

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

John 16:33 ESV / 17 helpful votes

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Amos 5:11 ESV / 17 helpful votes

Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.

Proverbs 22:8-16 ESV / 17 helpful votes

Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail. Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor. Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease. He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend. The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the traitor. ...

2 Corinthians 4:8 ESV / 16 helpful votes

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;

Amos 6:14 ESV / 16 helpful votes

“For behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel,” declares the Lord, the God of hosts; “and they shall oppress you from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of the Arabah.”

Amos 2:6-7 ESV / 16 helpful votes

Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals— those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of the afflicted; a man and his father go in to the same girl, so that my holy name is profaned;

Isaiah 10:1-12:6 ESV / 15 helpful votes

Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey! What will you do on the day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth? Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hands is my fury! ...

Psalm 144:1 ESV / 15 helpful votes

Of David. Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;

Zephaniah 3:1-8 ESV / 14 helpful votes

Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord; she does not draw near to her God. Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning. Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law. The Lord within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame. ...

1 John 4:1 ESV / 13 helpful votes

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Ephesians 6:17 ESV / 13 helpful votes

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

Ephesians 6:16 ESV / 13 helpful votes

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

John 3:16-17 ESV / 13 helpful votes

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Psalm 56:1 ESV / 13 helpful votes

To the choirmaster: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. A Miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me;

1 Samuel 13:22-23 ESV / 13 helpful votes

So on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

1 Samuel 12:3 ESV / 13 helpful votes

Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? Testify against me and I will restore it to you.”

Hebrews 13:8 ESV / 12 helpful votes

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Psalm 107:39-40 ESV / 12 helpful votes

When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, evil, and sorrow, he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes;

Psalm 103:1 ESV / 12 helpful votes

Of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

Revelation 4:9 ESV / 11 helpful votes

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,

Isaiah 5:1-30 ESV / 11 helpful votes

Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. ...

Psalm 55:22 ESV / 9 helpful votes

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

Revelation 12:9-13:10 ESV / 8 helpful votes

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. ...

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