What does the Bible say about false witness?

Top passages, ranked by readers

Rankings: OpenBible.info Topical Bible (CC BY) · Scripture: World English Bible

• Proverbs 19:5

  A false witness shall not be unpunished. He who pours out lies shall not go free.

• Exodus 23:1

  "You shall not spread a false report. Don't join your hand with the wicked to be a malicious witness.

• Proverbs 6:16-19

  [16] There are six things which Yahweh hates; Yes, seven which are an abomination to him: [17] Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood; [18] A heart that devises wicked schemes, Feet that are swift in running to mischief, [19] A false witness who utters lies, And he who sows discord among brothers.

• Mark 10:19

  You know the commandments: 'Do not murder,' 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not give false testimony,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and mother.'"

• Exodus 20:16

  "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

• Exodus 23:1-3

  [1] "You shall not spread a false report. Don't join your hand with the wicked to be a malicious witness. [2] You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; neither shall you testify in court to side with a multitude to pervert justice; [3] neither shall you favor a poor man in his cause.

• John 8:44

  You are of your Father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn't stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks on his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it.

• Revelation 21:8

  But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."

• Matthew 5:33-37

  [33] "Again you have heard that it was said to them of old time, 'You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,' [34] but I tell you, don't swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; [35] nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. [36] Neither shall you swear by your head, for you can't make one hair white or black. [37] But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'no.' Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.

• Exodus 20:1-26

  [1] God spoke all these words, saying, [2] "I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. [3] You shall have no other gods before me. [4] "You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: [5] you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, [6] and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. [7] "You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. [8] "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. [9] You shall labor six days, and do all your work, [10] but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your man-servant, nor your maid-servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates; [11] for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy. [12] "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you. [13] "You shall not murder. [14] "You shall not commit adultery. [15] "You shall not steal. [16] "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. [17] "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's." [18] All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance. [19] They said to Moses, "Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but don't let God speak with us, lest we die." [20] Moses said to the people, "Don't be afraid, for God has come to test you, and that his fear may be before you, that you won't sin." [21] The people stayed at a distance, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. [22] Yahweh said to Moses, "This is what you shall tell the children of Israel: 'You yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. [23] You shall most certainly not make alongside of me gods of silver, or gods of gold for yourselves. [24] You shall make an altar of earth for me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace-offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record my name I will come to you and I will bless you. [25] If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones; for if you lift up your tool on it, you have polluted it. [26] Neither shall you go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed to it.'

Related topics

• bearing false witness
• false accusations
• false hope
• false religions
• false religion
• identifying false teachers
• being a witness
• false doctrine