Bible verses about "polygamy" | JPS_ASV_Byz

⁹ When Leah saw that she had left off bearing, she took Zilpah her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob to wife.

⁴ And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife; and Jacob went in unto her.

¹ And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman.

⁵ If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not be married abroad unto one not of his kin; her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her. ⁶ And it shall be, that the first-born that she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother that is dead, that his name be not blotted out of Israel. ⁷ And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate unto the elders, and say: 'My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother unto me.' ⁸ Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him; and if he stand, and say: 'I like not to take her'; ⁹ then shall his brother's wife draw nigh unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face; and she shall answer and say: 'So shall it be done unto the man that doth not build up his brother's house.' ¹⁰ And his name shall be called in Israel The house of him that had his shoe loosed.

¹⁴ When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein; and shalt say: 'I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are round about me'; ¹⁵ thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose; one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee; thou mayest not put a foreigner over thee, who is not thy brother. ¹⁶ Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses; forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you: 'Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.' ¹⁷ Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away; neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. ¹⁸ And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the priests the Levites. ¹⁹ And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life; that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them; ²⁰ that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left; to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel.

¹ Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of the hill-country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. ² And he had two wives: the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

¹³ And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron; and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.

¹ Now king Solomon loved many foreign women, besides the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; ² of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel: 'Ye shall not go among them, neither shall they come among you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods'; Solomon did cleave unto these in love. ³ And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. ⁴ For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not whole with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.

⁵ And Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

³ And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begot sons and daughters.

⁸ There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and maidens without number.

¹ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying: ² 'Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother; ³ and they committed harlotries in Egypt; they committed harlotries in their youth; there were their bosoms pressed, and there their virgin breasts were bruised. ⁴ And the names of them were Oholah the elder, and Oholibah her sister; and they became Mine, and they bore sons and daughters. And as for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem Oholibah.

¹ Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me; It is good for a man not to touch a woman. ² But, because of fornications, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. ³ Let the husband render unto the wife benevolence due her; and likewise also the wife unto the husband. ⁴ The wife hath not power over her own body, but the husband; and likewise also the husband hath not power over his own body, but the wife. ⁵ Defraud ye not one the other, except it be by consent for a season, that ye may give yourselves unto fasting and prayer, and come together again, that Satan tempt you not because of your incontinency.

⁵ For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that were wanting, and appoint elders in every city, as I gave thee charge— ⁶ if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having children that believe, who are not accused of riot or unruly. ⁷ For the bishop must be blameless, as God's steward, not self-willed, not soon angry, no brawler, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre, ⁸ but given to hospitality, a lover of good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled,

¹⁹ And Lamech took unto him two wives; the name of one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.

³⁰ And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten; for he had many wives.

¹ Now these were the sons of David, that were born unto him in Hebron: the first-born, Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second, Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess; ² the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; ³ the fifth, Shephatiah of Abital; the sixth, Ithream by Eglah his wife. ⁴ Six were born unto him in Hebron; and there he reigned seven years and six months; and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years. ⁵ And these were born unto him in Jerusalem: Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bath-shua the daughter of Ammiel; ⁶ and Ibhar, and Elishama, and Eliphelet; ⁷ and Nogah, and Nepheg, and Japhia; ⁸ and Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine. ⁹ All these were the sons of David, beside the sons of the concubines; and Tamar was their sister.

²¹ But Abijah waxed mighty, and took unto himself fourteen wives, and begot twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.

²¹ And Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines - for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines, and begot twenty and eight sons and threescore daughters.

⁸ and I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that were too little, then would I add unto thee so much more.

¹⁵ If a man have two wives, the one beloved, and the other hated, and they have borne him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the first-born son be hers that was hated; ¹⁶ then it shall be, in the day that he causeth his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved the first-born before the son of the hated, who is the first-born; ¹⁷ but he shall acknowledge the first-born, the son of the hated, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath; for he is the first-fruits of his strength, the right of the first-born is his.

¹ Joash was seven years old when he began to reign; and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba. ² And Joash did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. ³ And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begot sons and daughters.

¹ And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying: 'We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by thy name; take thou away our reproach.'

¹ Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. ² And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³ They that were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them; ⁴ but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵ Now while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. ⁶ But at midnight there is a cry, Behold, the bridegroom cometh! Come ye forth to meet him. ⁷ Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil, for our lamps are going out. ⁹ But the wise answered, saying, Not so, lest there be not enough for us and you; go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. ¹⁰ And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. ¹¹ Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. ¹² But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. ¹³ Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. ¹⁴ For it is as when a man, going into another country, called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. ¹⁵ And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his several ability, and he went on his journey. ¹⁶ Then he that received the five talents went and traded with them, and made other five talents. ¹⁷ In like manner he also that received the two gained also other two. ¹⁸ But he that received the one went away and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. ¹⁹ Now after a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and maketh a reckoning with them. ²⁰ And he that received the five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents; lo, I have gained other five talents beside them. ²¹ And his lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things, enter thou into the joy of thy lord. ²² And he also that received the two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents; lo, I have gained other two talents beside them. ²³ His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things, enter thou into the joy of thy lord. ²⁴ And he also that had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou didst not sow, and gathering where thou didst not scatter, ²⁵ and I was afraid, and went away and hid thy talent in the earth; lo, thou hast thine own. ²⁶ But his lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I did not scatter, ²⁷ thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back mine own with interest. ²⁸ Take ye away therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him that hath the ten talents. ²⁹ For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away from him. ³⁰ And cast ye out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. ³¹ But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory; ³² and before him shall be gathered all the nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats, ³³ and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; ³⁵ for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat, I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink, I was a stranger, and ye took me in, ³⁶ naked, and ye clothed me, I was sick, and ye visited me, I was in prison, and ye came unto me. ³⁷ Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or athirst, and gave thee drink? ³⁸ And when saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? ³⁹ And when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? ⁴⁰ And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me. ⁴¹ Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴² for I was hungry, and ye did not give me to eat, I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger, and ye took me not in, naked, and ye clothed me not, sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. ⁴⁴ Then shall they also answer, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? ⁴⁵ Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of these least, ye did it not unto me. ⁴⁶ And these shall go away into eternal punishment; but the righteous into eternal life.

¹⁰ If he take him another wife, her food, her raiment, and her conjugal rights, shall he not diminish.