19 Bible Verses about Keeping Oneself Alive

Jeremiah therefore said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If indeed you surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned down, and you and your household will survive.

Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine, and plague, but whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live and will retain his life like the spoils of war.

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine, and plague, but whoever surrenders to the Chaldeans will live. He will keep his life like the spoils of war and will live.’

I spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah in the same way: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, serve him and his people, and live!

Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live! Why should this city become a ruin?

Look, this town is close enough for me to run to. It is a small place. Please let me go there—it’s only a small place, isn’t it?—so that I can survive.”

Now please come and let me advise you. Save your life and the life of your son Solomon.

But if you warn the righteous person that he should not sin, and he does not sin, he will indeed live because he listened to your warning, and you will have saved your life.”

But if you warn a wicked person and he does not turn from his wickedness or his wicked way, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.

Because you have disheartened the righteous person with lies, even though I have not caused him grief, and because you have encouraged the wicked person not to turn from his evil way to save his life,

until I come and take you away to a land like your own land—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey—so that you may live and not die. But don’t listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you, saying: The Lord will deliver us.

The archer will not stand his ground,
the one who is swift of foot
will not save himself,
and the one riding a horse will not save his life.

Escape will fail the swift,
the strong one will not prevail by his strength,
and the brave will not save his life.

“This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it.

Anyone finding his life will lose it, and anyone losing his life because of Me will find it.

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me and the gospel will save it.

Whoever tries to make his life secure will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

By your endurance gain your lives.