'Pleasure' in the Bible

Rebuke the beast in the reeds,the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.Trample underfoot those with bars of silver.Scatter the peoples who take pleasure in war.

And I -- my prayer is to Thee, O Jehovah, A time of good pleasure, O God, In the abundance of Thy kindness, Answer me in the truth of Thy salvation.

May those who seek to kill me be publicly humiliated. May those who take pleasure in my harm be turned back in humiliation.

But he took the tribe of Judah for himself, and the mountain of Zion, in which he had pleasure.

Restore us, O God;Cause Your face to shine on us [with favor and approval], and we will be saved.

Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;Cause Your face to shine on us [in favor and approval], and we shall be saved.

For you are the glory of their strength; in your pleasure will our horn be lifted up.

For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.

Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

May the splendor of the Lord endure! May the Lord find pleasure in the living things he has made!

To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom.

As he took pleasure in cursing, so let it come on him; and as he had no delight in blessing, let it be far from him.

The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.

Help me stay on the path of Your commands,for I take pleasure in it.

I have given my mind to do your pleasure with all my heart; have mercy on me, as you have said.

Had your instruction not been my pleasure, I would have died in my affliction.

Make Your face shine [with pleasure] upon Your servant,And teach me Your statutes.

Teach me to do Thy good pleasure, For Thou art my God -- Thy Spirit is good, Lead me into a land of uprightness.

He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.

The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.

How long, simple ones, will ye love simpleness, and scorners take pleasure in their scorning, and the foolish hate knowledge?

Who take pleasure in wrongdoing, and have joy in the evil designs of the sinner;

Let your fountain be blessed,and take pleasure in the wife of your youth.

Come, let us take our pleasure in love till the morning, having joy in love's delights.

As shameful conduct is pleasure for a fool,so wisdom is for a man of understanding.

The king has pleasure in a servant who does wisely, but his wrath is against him who is a cause of shame.

Foolishness is joy to him who is without heart and lacks [intelligent, common] sense,But a man of understanding walks uprightly [making his course straight].

Kings take pleasure in righteous speech; they treasure a person who speaks what is upright.

He that separateth himself seeketh his pleasure, he is vehement against all sound wisdom.

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding but only in disclosing what is on his mind.

The king's heart in the hands of the Lord is like the water streams, and by him it is turned in any direction at his pleasure.

He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

Have you found [pleasure sweet like] honey? Eat only as much as you need,Otherwise, being filled excessively, you vomit it.

When evil men are in power, wrongdoing is increased; but the upright will have pleasure when they see their downfall.

I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.

I said about laughter, “It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish?”

I made a search with my heart to give pleasure to my flesh with wine, still guiding my heart with wisdom, and to go after foolish things, so that I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under the heavens all the days of their life.

All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them. I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles.

Who may take food or have pleasure without him?

To the man with whom he is pleased, God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the work of getting goods together and storing up wealth, to give to him in whom God has pleasure. This again is to no purpose and desire for wind.

I have concluded that the only worthwhile thing for them is to take pleasure in doing good in life;

Consider someone who is alone, having neither son nor brother. There is no end to all of his work, and he is never satisfied with wealth. "So for whom do I work," he asks, "and deprive myself of pleasure?" This, too, is pointless and a terrible tragedy.

When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

Every man to whom God has given money and wealth and the power to have pleasure in it and to do his part and have joy in his work: this is given by God.

If a man has a hundred children, and his life is long so that the days of his years are great in number, but his soul takes no pleasure in good, and he is not honoured at his death; I say that a birth before its time is better than he.

The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning,but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure.

So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for a man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to be merry, and this will stand by him in his toils throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works.

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

See, you are fair, my loved one, and a pleasure; our bed is green.

To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith Jehovah. I am sated with burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and in the blood of bullocks, and of lambs, and of he-goats I take no pleasure.

Take pleasure in well-doing; let your ways be upright, keep down the cruel, give a right decision for the child who has no father, see to the cause of the widow.

For you will be ashamed [of the degradation] of the oaks in which you took [idolatrous] pleasure,And you will be ashamed of the gardens [of passion] which you have chosen [for pagan worship].

Therefore the Lord does not take pleasure in their young men,Nor does He have pity on their orphans or their widows;For every one of them is godless and an evildoer,And every mouth is speaking foolishness.In spite of all this, His anger does not turn awayAnd His hand is still stretched out.

Behold, I am going to stir up the Medes against them,Who will not value silver or take pleasure in gold.

And hyenas will answer in its palaces, and jackals in the pleasure palaces; and its time {is coming soon}, and its days will not be prolonged.

Let those who have been forced out of Moab have a resting-place with you; be a cover to them from him who is making waste their land: till the cruel ones are cut off, and wasting has come to an end, and those who take pleasure in crushing the poor are gone from the land.

My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me.

Instead, there is joy and jubilation,Killing of oxen and slaughtering of sheep,Eating meat and drinking wine, saying,“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die.”

Tarry ye and wonder; take your pleasure and be blind: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

Who say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Do not give us word of what is true, but say false things to give us pleasure:

"Here is my servant whom I support, my chosen one in whom I take pleasure. I have placed my spirit on him; he will make just decrees for the nations.

The Lord was pleased for His righteousness’ sakeTo make the law great and prove to be glorious.

You have not got me sweet-smelling plants with your money, or given me pleasure with the fat of your offerings: but you have made me a servant to your sins, and you have made me tired with your evil doings.

That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

So now take note of this, you who are given up to pleasure, living without fear of evil, saying in your heart, I am, and there is no one like me; I will never be a widow, or have my children taken from me.

All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things? The LORD hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.

Thus said Jehovah: 'In a time of good pleasure I answered thee, And in a day of salvation I helped thee, And I keep thee, and give thee, For a covenant of the people, To establish the earth, To cause to inherit desolate inheritances.

For he went up like shoot before him, and like root from dry ground. He had no form and no majesty that we should see him, and no appearance that we should take pleasure in him.

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Why do you weigh out money for [what is] not food, and your labor for {what cannot satisfy}? Listen carefully to me, and eat [what is] good, and let your soul take pleasure in {rich} food.

I will make them come to my holy mountain, and will give them joy in my house of prayer; I will take pleasure in the burned offerings which they make on my altar: for my house will be named a house of prayer for all peoples.

Yes, the dogs are for ever looking for food; while these, the keepers of the sheep, are without wisdom: they have all gone after their pleasure, every one looking for profit; they are all the same.

Come, they say, I will get wine, and we will take strong drink in full measure; and tomorrow will be like today, full of pleasure.

Though they make prayer to me every day, and take pleasure in the knowledge of my ways: like a nation which has done righteousness, and has not given up the rules of their God, they make requests to me for the right orders, it is their delight to come near to God.

Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.

Is [the] fast I choose like this, a day for humankind to humiliate {himself}? To bow his head like a reed, and {make} his bed [on] sackcloth and ashes; you call this a fast and a day of pleasure to Yahweh?

If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

then you shall take your pleasure in Yahweh, and I will make you ride upon [the] heights of [the] earth, and I will feed you the heritage of Jacob your ancestor, for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken."

And sons of a stranger have built thy walls, And their kings do serve thee, For in My wrath I have smitten thee, And in My good pleasure I have pitied thee.

To proclaim the year of the good pleasure of Jehovah, And the day of vengeance of our God, To comfort all mourners.

For I, the Lord, take pleasure in upright judging; I will not put up with the violent taking away of right; and I will certainly give them their reward, and I will make an eternal agreement with them.

You will not now be named, She who is given up; and your land will no longer be named, The waste land: but you will have the name, My pleasure is in her, and your land will be named, Married: for the Lord has pleasure in you, and your land will be married.

Will you not have mercy on him who takes pleasure in doing righteousness, even on those who keep in mind your ways? Truly you were angry, and we went on doing evil, and sinning against you in the past.

I'll consign you to the sword, and all of you will bend down for the slaughter because when I called, you didn't answer, when I spoke, you didn't listen; but you did what was evil in my sight, and chose what I took no pleasure in."

He who puts an ox to death puts a man to death; he who makes an offering of a lamb puts a dog to death; he who makes a meal offering makes an offering of pig's blood; he who makes an offering of perfumes for a sign gives worship to an image: as they have gone after their desires, and their soul takes pleasure in their disgusting things;

So I will go after trouble for them, and will send on them what they are fearing: because no one made answer to my voice, or gave ear to my word; but they did what was evil in my eyes, going after that in which I took no pleasure.

A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her.

How is it possible for you to have my forgiveness for this? your children have given me up, taking their oaths by those who are no gods: when I had given them food in full measure, they were false to their wives, taking their pleasure in the houses of loose women.

Who can I speak to and give such a warningthat they will listen?Look, their ear is uncircumcised,so they cannot pay attention.See, the word of the Lord has become contemptible to them—they find no pleasure in it.

I take no delight when they offer up to me frankincense that comes from Sheba or sweet-smelling cane imported from a faraway land. I cannot accept the burnt offerings they bring me. I get no pleasure from the sacrifices they offer to me.'

This is what the Lord has said about this people: Even so they have been glad to go from the right way; they have not kept their feet from wandering, so the Lord has no pleasure in them; now he will keep their wrongdoing in mind and send punishment for their sins.

When they go without food, I will not give ear to their cry; when they give burned offerings and meal offerings, I will not take pleasure in them: but I will put an end to them by the sword and by need of food and by disease.

Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not?

I have made the earth, and man and beast on the face of the earth, by my great power and by my outstretched arm; and I will give it to anyone at my pleasure.

And truly, I will take pleasure in doing them good, and all my heart and soul will be given to planting them in this land in good faith.

But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.

There shall be lamentation generally upon all the housetops of Moab, and in the streets thereof: for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the LORD.