The Bible talks a lot about stealing—taking things that don’t belong to you. It’s important because it’s about respecting others and their stuff.
In this article, we’ll explore some Bible verses about stealing. These verses give us guidance on how to treat other people’s things with care and honesty.
Whether it’s a material thing or someone’s trust, stealing hurts relationships and breaks trust. Let’s dive into these verses to learn how to make better choices and show respect for others and their belongings.
Top Bible Verses About Stealing
Exodus 20:15
“You shall not steal.”
Leviticus 19:11
“You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another.”
Proverbs 6:30-31
“People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry, but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold; he will give all the goods of his house.”
Proverbs 28:24
“Whoever robs his father or his mother and says, ‘That is no transgression,’ is a companion to a man who destroys.”
Matthew 19:18
“He said to him, ‘Which ones?’ And Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness.”
Mark 10:19
“You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’”
Luke 3:14
“Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.’”
Romans 13:9
“For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Ephesians 4:28
“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.”
1 Peter 4:15
“But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.
Consequences of Stealing
Proverbs 10:2
“Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.”
Proverbs 21:6
“The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.”
Hosea 4:2
“There is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.”
Zechariah 5:3
“Then he said to me, ‘This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who swears falsely shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side.”
1 Corinthians 6:10
“Nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
Repentance and Forgiveness
Luke 19:8
“And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.'”
Acts 3:19
“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.”
Ephesians 4:31-32
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Colossians 3:13
“Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Honesty and Integrity
Psalm 37:21
“The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives.”
Proverbs 11:1
“A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.”
Proverbs 12:22
“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.”
Proverbs 16:11
“A just balance and scales are the Lord’s; all the weights in the bag are his work.”
Micah 6:11
“Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights?”
Trusting God’s Provision
Matthew 6:19-20
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
Matthew 6:33
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Philippians 4:19
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
1 Timothy 6:6-8
“But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.”
Hebrews 13:5
“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.'”
Seeking Justice and Righteousness
Isaiah 1:17
“Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”
Amos 5:15
“Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”
Micah 6:8
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Romans 12:17-21
“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 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.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
James 5:4
“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.”
The Sinfulness of Stealing
Psalm 62:10
“Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them.”
Isaiah 61:8
“For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.”
Ezekiel 18:10-13
“If he fathers a son who is violent, a shedder of blood, who does any of these things (though he himself did none of these things), who even eats upon the mountains, defiles his neighbor’s wife, oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore the pledge, lifts up his eyes to the idols, commits abomination, lends at interest, and takes profit; shall he then live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon himself.”
Nahum 3:1
“Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and plunder— no end to the prey!”
Zechariah 7:9-10
“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.”
Restitution and Making Amends
Exodus 22:1
“If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.”
Luke 3:13-14
“And he said to them, ‘Collect no more than you are authorized to do.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.’”
Luke 19:9
“And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.'”
Ephesians 4:28
“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.”
James 4:17
“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
Overcoming the Temptation to Steal
Proverbs 28:6
“Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.”
Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Romans 13:8-10
“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.”
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
1 Timothy 6:9-10
“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”
Seeking Restoration and Transformation
Job 20:15
“He swallows down riches and vomits them up again; God casts them out of his belly.”
Joel 2:25
“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.”
Luke 3:10-14
“And the crowds asked him, ‘What then shall we do?’ And he answered them, ‘Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.’ Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, ‘Teacher, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Collect no more than you are authorized to do.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.’”
Romans 12:2
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Final Thought
After looking at these Bible verses on stealing, you realize how important it is to be honest and respectful of other people’s stuff. It’s not just about following rules, but about being a good person.
These verses teach us to treat others how we want to be treated. It’s like the golden rule, you know? So next time you are tempted to take something that is not yours, remember these verses and think twice.