What Does the Bible Say About Pride?

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. I have broken the bars of your yoke, and made you walk upright. “‘But if you will not listen to me, and will not do all these commandments, and if you shall reject my statutes, and if your soul abhors my ordinances, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, I also will do this to you: I will appoint terror over you, even consumption and fever, that shall consume the eyes, and make the soul to pine away. You will sow your seed in vain, for your enemies will eat it. I will set my face against you, and you will be struck before your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you; and you will flee when no one pursues you. “‘If you in spite of these things will not listen to me, then I will chastise you seven times more for your sins. I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your sky like iron, and your soil like bronze. Your strength will be spent in vain; for your land won’t yield its increase, neither will the trees of the land yield their fruit. “‘If you walk contrary to me, and won’t listen to me, then I will bring seven times more plagues on you according to your sins. I will send the wild animals among you, which will rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you few in number. Your roads will become desolate."

"Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army. David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and said the same words; and David heard them. All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were terrified. The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? He has surely come up to defy Israel. The king will give great riches to the man who kills him, and will give him his daughter, and will make his father’s house tax-free in Israel.” David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done to the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” The people answered him in this way, saying, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.” Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger burned against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the evil of your heart; for you have come down that you might see the battle.” David said, “What have I now done? Is there not a cause?”"

"But Hezekiah didn’t reciprocate appropriate to the benefit done for him, because his heart was lifted up. Therefore there was wrath on him, Judah, and Jerusalem. However, Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the LORD’s wrath didn’t come on them in the days of Hezekiah. Hezekiah had exceedingly great riches and honor. He provided himself with treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of valuable vessels; also storehouses for the increase of grain, new wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of animals, and flocks in folds. Moreover he provided for himself cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; for God had given him abundant possessions. This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper spring of the waters of Gihon, and brought them straight down on the west side of David’s city. Hezekiah prospered in all his works. However, concerning the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him to test him, that he might know all that was in his heart. Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his good deeds, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel."

"“However, Job, please hear my speech, and listen to all my words. See now, I have opened my mouth. My tongue has spoken in my mouth. My words will utter the uprightness of my heart. That which my lips know they will speak sincerely. The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. If you can, answer me. Set your words in order before me, and stand up. Behold, I am toward God even as you are. I am also formed out of the clay. Behold, my terror will not make you afraid, neither will my pressure be heavy on you. “Surely you have spoken in my hearing, I have heard the voice of your words, saying, ‘I am clean, without disobedience. I am innocent, neither is there iniquity in me. Behold, he finds occasions against me. He counts me for his enemy. He puts my feet in the stocks. He marks all my paths.’ “Behold, I will answer you. In this you are not just, for God is greater than man. Why do you strive against him, because he doesn’t give account of any of his matters? For God speaks once, yes twice, though man pays no attention. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, in slumbering on the bed, then he opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction, that he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. He keeps back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword."

"Moreover Elihu answered, “Do you think this to be your right, or do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s,’ that you ask, ‘What advantage will it be to you? What profit will I have, more than if I had sinned?’ I will answer you, and your companions with you. Look to the skies, and see. See the skies, which are higher than you. If you have sinned, what effect do you have against him? If your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him? If you are righteous, what do you give him? Or what does he receive from your hand? Your wickedness may hurt a man as you are, and your righteousness may profit a son of man. “By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out. They cry for help by reason of the arm of the mighty. But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night, who teaches us more than the animals of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?’ There they cry, but no one answers, because of the pride of evil men. Surely God will not hear an empty cry, neither will the Almighty regard it. How much less when you say you don’t see him. The cause is before him, and you wait for him! But now, because he has not visited in his anger, neither does he greatly regard arrogance, therefore Job opens his mouth with empty talk, and he multiplies words without knowledge.”"