Conspiracies

Malicious plots or plans to harm or to kill, which may be directed against other people, or even against God. Conspiracies are sometimes motivated by political aspirations, but may be simply an outlet for wrongdoing.

Conspiracies to sin

Micah 7:3 See also Psalm 52:2, Psalm 64:6; Proverbs 16:27, Proverbs 16:30; Jeremiah 11:9–10; Ezekiel 22:25

Both hands are skilled at evil; the prince and the judge demand a bribe. When the powerful utters his evil desire, they all conspire together.

Conspiracies to murder

Jeremiah 18:23 See also Genesis 37:17–23; 2 Samuel 11:2–17; 2 Chronicles 24:20–21

But You, O LORD, know all their deadly plots against me. Do not wipe out their guilt or blot out their sin from Your sight. Let them be overthrown before You; deal with them in the time of Your anger.

Conspiracies to commit genocide

Esther 9:24–25 See also 2 Samuel 21:1–6; Esther 3:5–9

For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the Pur (that is, the lot) to crush and destroy them. But when it came before the king, he commanded by letter that the wicked scheme which Haman had devised against the Jews should come back upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

Conspiracies to hinder the work of God

Nehemiah 4:7–8 See also Nehemiah 4:11, Nehemiah 4:15

When Sanballat and Tobiah, together with the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites, heard that the repair to the walls of Jerusalem was progressing and that the gaps were being closed, they were furious, and all of them conspired to come and fight against Jerusalem and create a hindrance.

Conspiracies against kings

Conspiracies to overthrow the king

2 Kings 15:10 See also 1 Kings 15:25–28, 1 Kings 16:8–10, 1 Kings 16:15–18; 2 Kings 9:14–24, 2 Kings 10:9–11, 2 Kings 12:19–21 parallel 2 Chronicles 24:25–26 the assassination of Joash; 2 Kings 14:17–19 parallel 2 Chronicles 25:27 the assassination of Amaziah; 2 Kings 15:15, 2 Kings 15:23–25, 2 Kings 15:30, 2 Kings 21:23–24 parallel 2 Chronicles 33:24–25 the assassination of Amon; Esther 2:21–22, Esther 6:2

Then Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, struck him down and killed him in front of the people, and reigned in his place.

Conspiracies against King David

2 Samuel 15:10–12 See also 1 Samuel 23:7–13, 1 Samuel 23:15, 1 Samuel 23:19–23; 2 Samuel 15:31; 1 Kings 1:5–10, 1 Kings 2:28

Then Absalom sent spies throughout the tribes of Israel with this message: “When you hear the sound of the horn, you are to say, ‘Absalom reigns in Hebron!’” Two hundred men from Jerusalem accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and they went along innocently, for they knew nothing about the matter. While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, to come from his hometown of Giloh. So the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept increasing.

False accusations of conspiracy against kings

Amos 7:10–11 See also 1 Samuel 22:6–8, 1 Samuel 22:13–16; Nehemiah 6:5–9; Daniel 2:9

Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words, for this is what Amos has said: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their homeland.’”

Conspiracies against cities and nations

Jeremiah 48:2 See also Isaiah 7:5–6; Jeremiah 49:30–33; Ezekiel 11:2–3; Daniel 11:24–25; Habakkuk 2:10

There is no longer praise for Moab; in Heshbon they devise evil against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from nationhood.’ You too, O people of Madmen, will be silenced; the sword will pursue you.

Conspiracies against God

Psalm 2:1–3 See also Psalm 21:11, Psalm 83:5–8; Hosea 7:11–16; Nahum 1:9–11

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One: “Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.”

Conspiracies against God's servants

2 Chronicles 24:20–21 See also Psalm 31:13, Psalm 35:4, Psalm 36:4, Psalm 37:12, Psalm 38:12, Psalm 52:2, Psalm 56:5, Psalm 59:3, Psalm 64:2, Psalm 71:10, Psalm 83:3, Psalm 105:24–25; Jeremiah 11:18–19 a plot against Jeremiah; Jeremiah 18:23; Lamentations 3:60–61

Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood up before the people and said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has forsaken you.’” But they conspired against Zechariah, and by order of the king, they stoned him in the courtyard of the house of the LORD.

Conspiracies against Jesus Christ

Matthew 12:14 parallels Mark 3:6, Luke 6:11 See also Matthew 26:3–4 parallels Mark 14:1, Luke 22:1–2; John 11:53; Acts 4:27

But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

Conspiracies against Paul

Acts 23:12–16 See also Acts 9:20–25, Acts 14:1–7, Acts 18:12, Acts 20:3, Acts 20:19, Acts 23:30

When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. More than forty of them were involved in this plot. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him down to you on the pretext of examining his case more carefully. We are ready to kill him on the way.” But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul.

Conspirators condemned

Isaiah 33:15–16 See also 2 Samuel 12:1–12; Proverbs 3:29, Proverbs 6:12–15, Proverbs 12:20, Proverbs 14:22, Proverbs 24:1–2, Proverbs 24:8; Isaiah 8:12; Micah 2:1; Zechariah 8:16–17

He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears against murderous plots and shuts his eyes tightly against evil— he will dwell on the heights; the mountain fortress will be his refuge; his food will be provided and his water assured.