Bible quotes for a play

October 14, 2008 10:36 AM

Working on a play. A character--a minister--makes a passing comment about the evils of gentrification. I'd like him to wryly refer to...[insert Bible quote here]. Any ideas? This minister reverses himself later, if it matters.
posted by pipti to religion & philosophy (13 comments total)

"Sending the locals to Egypt"?
posted by kittyprecious at 10:57 AM on October 14, 2008

Proverbs 25:17 Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house; lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee.

And the old standby

Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 10:58 AM on October 14, 2008

The Tower of Babel? Those people tried to make the neighborhood nicer, and look what happened to them.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 10:59 AM on October 14, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

1st Corinthians 7:14 "Each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to."
posted by mattbucher at 11:00 AM on October 14, 2008

These are great, thank you. Any ideas for what the minister might say when he reverses himself?
posted by pipti at 11:14 AM on October 14, 2008

Seems like Sodom & Gomorrah is an obvious refference.

Ezekiel 16:49-50: "Now this was the sin of Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen."
posted by googly at 11:14 AM on October 14, 2008

Maybe Galatians 2:18 : For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
Or Malachi 1:4 :Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever.
posted by Bernt Pancreas at 11:14 AM on October 14, 2008

For the reversal:
Nehemiah 2:18 :Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.
posted by Bernt Pancreas at 11:16 AM on October 14, 2008

Haggai 1:2-9, New International Version:

This is what the LORD Almighty says: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the LORD's house to be built.' " 3 Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"

(...)

9 "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house."
posted by homelystar at 11:19 AM on October 14, 2008

John 14:2. Jesus says, "In my father's house are many mansions." You never know; perhaps they're McMansions.
posted by ROTFL at 11:55 AM on October 14, 2008

Sounds like people with better Scriptural credential than I've got have already provided some good answers, but an old standby (and one that will probably be familiar to much of your audience, for what that's worth) is Matthew 19:24, the one about camels and rich men and eyes of needles and the kingdom of Heaven.
posted by box at 2:35 PM on October 14, 2008

For the reversal, something from Jeremiah 29?

4 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.

or a few verses later:

7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."
posted by jpdoane at 3:10 PM on October 14, 2008

for the original - was thinking sodom as well, as the obvious choice

for the reversal - maybe something from the end of the Jonah story -- how the king of Ninveh hears about the city repenting in the streets, and joins in... making it a righteous town
posted by prophetsearcher at 2:26 AM on October 15, 2008