Theme
Bible verses about leadership
Last reviewed
The Bible has more to say against bad leadership than in favour of good leadership, and Ezekiel's denunciation of shepherds who feed themselves is a fair sample of the tone.
Both strands are here: instructions to people leading, and the criticism that gives those instructions their force.
8 passages
Each shows its reference and translation, and links to the chapter it comes from.
42Jesus summoned them and said to them, “You know that they who are recognised as rulers over the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43But it shall not be so amongst you, but whoever wants to become great amongst you shall be your servant. 44Whoever of you wants to become first amongst you shall be bondservant of all. 45For the Son of Man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
2“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and tell them, even the shepherds, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Shouldn’t the shepherds feed the sheep? 3You eat the fat. You clothe yourself with the wool. You kill the fatlings, but you don’t feed the sheep. 4You haven’t strengthened the diseased. You haven’t healed that which was sick. You haven’t bound up that which was broken. You haven’t brought back that which was driven away. You haven’t sought that which was lost, but you have ruled over them with force and with rigor.
3doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself; 4each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.
Where there is no wise guidance, the nation falls, but in the multitude of counsellors there is victory.
Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men which fear God: men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
2shepherd the flock of God which is amongst you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily; not for dishonest gain, but willingly; 3not as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock.
2The overseer therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable, good at teaching; 3not a drinker, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;
When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan.
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible British Edition, which is in the public domain. “World English Bible” is a trademark of eBible.org.