Real World Situations · Sin, Temptation, and Repentance

Battling despair that drives you toward self-harm

What the King James Bible says about battling despair that drives you toward self-harm — every relevant verse, gathered in one place, with nothing added.

45 King James verses · Bible order · Scripture only, King James only

If you need help right now

In the United States, if you are in immediate danger call 911. To talk with someone now, call or text 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), any time, day or night.

Scripture below is offered alongside — not in place of — real help. Please reach out.

The Word on this

Exodus 22:10

If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it:

Exodus 23:29

I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.

Exodus 25:20

And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.

Deuteronomy 2:9

And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession. Distress...: or, Use no hostility against Moab

Deuteronomy 20:3

And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; faint: Heb. be tender tremble: Heb. make haste

Deuteronomy 20:8

And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart. faint: Heb. melt

Deuteronomy 28:57

And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates. young one: Heb. afterbirth

Joshua 23:13

Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.

Judges 10:1

And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim. defend: or, deliver: Heb. save

Judges 20:43

Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising. with ease...: or, from Menuchah, etc over...: Heb. unto over against

1 Samuel 26:10

David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.

1 Samuel 27:1

And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand. perish: Heb. be consumed

2 Samuel 20:6

And David said to Abishai, Now shall Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom: take thou thy lord's servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fenced cities, and escape us. escape...: Heb. deliver himself from our eyes

1 Chronicles 12:8

And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to the wilderness men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains; of war: Heb. of the host as swift...: Heb. as the roes upon the mountains to make haste

1 Chronicles 17:21

And what one nation in the earth is like thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be his own people, to make thee a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before thy people, whom thou hast redeemed out of Egypt?

2 Chronicles 20:24

And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. none...: Heb. there was not an escaping

2 Chronicles 24:24

For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash.

Psalms 42:5

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. cast: Heb. bowed praise: or, give thanks for the...: or, his presence is salvation

Psalms 42:11

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Psalms 43:5

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Psalms 68:2

As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

Psalms 76:3

There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.

Ecclesiastes 2:20

Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.

Isaiah 52:9

Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 8:18

When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me. in: Heb. upon

Jeremiah 27:10

For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.

Jeremiah 27:15

For I have not sent them, saith the LORD, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you. a lie: Heb. in a lie, or, lyingly

Jeremiah 45:3

Thou didst say, Woe is me now! for the LORD hath added grief to my sorrow; I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.

Jeremiah 46:3

Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle.

Jeremiah 46:6

Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates.

Lamentations 1:13

From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made me desolate and faint all the day.

Lamentations 2:19

Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street.

Lamentations 3:18

And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:

Ezekiel 6:14

So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I am the LORD. more...: or, desolate from the wilderness

Joel 2:20

But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things. hath...: Heb. hath magnified to do

Zephaniah 2:4

For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.

2 Corinthians 1:8

For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:

2 Corinthians 4:8

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; in despair: or, altogether without help, or, means

2 Corinthians 4:9

Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

2 Corinthians 7:4

Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.

2 Corinthians 7:7

And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.

2 Corinthians 7:11

For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

Colossians 4:5

Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

1 Thessalonians 3:7

Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith:

1 Thessalonians 5:14

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. exhort: or, beseech unruly: or, disorderly
Read Jeremiah and the rest of the King James text in the OmniChrist KJV Bible, test your knowledge in the Bible games, or take a course.