//
Search for a command to run...
The Bible treats lying as a sin against both God and neighbor. The ninth commandment forbids false testimony (Exodus 20:16), Proverbs says Yahweh detests lying lips (Proverbs 12:22), and Paul tells believers to put away falsehood and speak truth to one another (Ephesians 4:25). The WEB names liars in 18 verses and mentions false witness in 12, and Revelation 21:8 includes all liars among those outside the city of God. The Bible also records God's blessing on Rahab and the Hebrew midwives, who deceived to protect life (Joshua 2:4-6, Exodus 1:17-20), a tension Christians have debated for centuries. The verses below cover the commands, the warnings and those hard cases.
Counts from this page's curated collection (16 books of Scripture).
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour."
“‘You shall not steal. “‘You shall not lie. “‘You shall not deceive one another.
"Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another."
"Lying lips are an abomination to Yahweh, but those who do the truth are his delight."
"Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight."
"There are six things which Yahweh hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood; a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are swift in running to mischief, a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers."
"These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."
"A false witness shall not be unpunished. He who utters lies shall perish."
"A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish."
"Getting treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor for those who seek death."
"The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death."
"A lying tongue hates those it hurts; and a flattering mouth works ruin."
"A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin."
"A truthful witness will not lie, but a false witness pours out lies."
"A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies."
"Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me;"
"Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:"
"He who practices deceit won’t dwell within my house. He who speaks falsehood won’t be established before my eyes."
"He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight."
"Deliver my soul, Yahweh, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue."
"Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue."
"You will destroy those who speak lies. Yahweh abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man."
"Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man."
"Therefore putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members of one another."
"Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another."
"Don’t lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his doings, and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his Creator,"
"Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:"
"These are the things that you shall do: speak every man the truth with his neighbor. Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates,"
"These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:"
"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 lies."
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
"But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira, his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? While you kept it, didn’t it remain your own? After it was sold, wasn’t it in your power? How is it that you have conceived this thing in your heart? You haven’t lied to men, but to God.”"
"But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God."
"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.”"
"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
"Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood."
"For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie."
"in hope of eternal life, which God, who can’t lie, promised before time began;"
"In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;"
"God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it good?"
"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"
"that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to take hold of the hope set before us."
"That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:"
"If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and don’t tell the truth."
"If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:"
"I have not written to you because you don’t know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth."
"I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth."
"But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ Whatever is more than these is of the evil one."
"But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."
"I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment."
"But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."
"The woman took the two men and hid them. Then she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I didn’t know where they came from. About the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, the men went out. Where the men went, I don’t know. Pursue them quickly. You may catch up with them.” But she had brought them up to the roof, and hidden them under the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof."
"And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof."
"But the midwives feared God, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive. The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and have saved the boys alive?” The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women aren’t like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous, and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty."
"But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty."
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible and the King James Version (both public domain), checked word for word against the full text. Updated October 3, 2026.
Yes. Exodus 20:16, Leviticus 19:11 and Proverbs 12:22 say so directly, and Revelation 21:8 lists liars among those who face the second death. John 8:44 calls the devil the father of lies, and Titus 1:2 says God cannot lie, so truthfulness reflects God's own character.
The Bible has no category for harmless fibs and no verse that approves them. It gives a plain standard in Matthew 5:37: let your yes be yes and your no be no. Ephesians 4:25 asks believers to put away falsehood altogether.
The text records God blessing the Hebrew midwives in Egypt after they misled Pharaoh (Exodus 1:17-20) and Rahab after she hid the Israelite spies (Joshua 2:4-6, Hebrews 11:31). Some Christians read these as a justified deception to protect life, and others read the blessing as being for their faith and mercy while the deception itself is left unjudged. The Bible does not settle the question in one verse.
The ninth commandment forbids it (Exodus 20:16), and Proverbs 19:9 says a false witness will not go unpunished. In the law, a false witness received the punishment he had planned for the accused (Deuteronomy 19:16-19). False testimony is the lie that does the most damage to others, which is why it gets its own commandment.
Explore more topics and discover God's Word for every season of life.