Bible verses about temptation
The Bible says temptation is common to everyone, is not itself sin, and always comes with a way out. 1 Corinthians 10:13 promises that God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear and will make a way to escape. James 1:13-15 says God never tempts anyone, and Hebrews 4:15-16 says Jesus was tempted in all points as we are — which is why you can come boldly for mercy and help in time of need.
12 verses about temptation
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (KJV) →13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
James 1:13-15 (KJV) →15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:15-16 (KJV) →18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
Hebrews 2:18 (KJV) →41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Matthew 26:41 (KJV) →3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Matthew 4:3-4 (KJV) →13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Matthew 6:13 (KJV) →7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7 (KJV) →12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
James 1:12 (KJV) →11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Psalm 119:11 (KJV) →9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
2 Peter 2:9 (KJV) →1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
Galatians 6:1 (KJV) →
Temptation is not sin
This distinction removes a great deal of unnecessary shame. Hebrews 4:15 says Jesus was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin — so the two are separable, and the experience of being pulled toward something is not in itself a failure. James 1:14-15 describes a sequence instead: a person is drawn away by desire, the desire conceives, and only then does it bring forth sin. There are steps between the pull and the act. James 1:13 adds that the pull never comes from God — neither tempteth he any man; it is not a test he has set to see whether you will fall.
A way to escape
1 Corinthians 10:13 makes three claims worth taking one at a time. First, no temptation has taken you but such as is common to man — whatever it is, you are not uniquely broken for facing it. Second, God is faithful and will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able. Third, he will with the temptation also make a way to escape. The exit is often undramatic: leaving the room, ending the conversation, telling someone. In Matthew 4 Jesus answers each temptation in the wilderness with a sentence of Scripture he already knew, which is what Psalm 119:11 means by hiding the word in the heart beforehand.
Watch and pray — and what to do afterward
Matthew 26:41 is said to disciples who kept falling asleep: watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. It is an honest verse. It assumes good intentions and weak follow-through, and prescribes attention and prayer rather than more resolve. The Lord's Prayer builds the same request into every day (Matthew 6:13). And for when it has gone wrong, Galatians 6:1 says a person overtaken in a fault is to be restored in a spirit of meekness, by people who remember they could be tempted too. Hebrews 4:16 is addressed to exactly that moment: come boldly, to obtain mercy.
Scripture quoted from the King James Version, which is in the public domain. Esther reads seven more translations in the app, including the ESV, NIV and NLT.