Dishonesty, examples of

Examples of the dishonest behaviour condemned by God.

Dishonest words condemned

Lying

Ephesians 4:25 See also Leviticus 19:11; Psalm 34:13; Colossians 3:9–10

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one another.

False witness

Exodus 20:16 parallel Deuteronomy 5:20 See also Matthew 19:17–18; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20; Exodus 23:1, Exodus 23:7; Matthew 26:59–60; Acts 6:12–14

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Swearing falsely

Leviticus 19:12 See also Exodus 20:7; Matthew 5:33–37

You must not swear falsely by My name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

Dishonest actions condemned

Stealing

Exodus 20:15 parallel Deuteronomy 5:19 See also Matthew 19:18 parallels Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20; Romans 13:9

You shall not steal.

Dishonest dealing

Proverbs 11:1 See also Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 25:13–16; Psalm 62:10; Isaiah 33:15–16; Titus 2:9–10

Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight.

Israel condemned for dishonest gain

Bribery and extortion

Ezekiel 22:12–13 See also Jeremiah 22:13, Jeremiah 22:17–19; Ezekiel 22:27–31; Habakkuk 2:6–9

In you they take bribes to shed blood. You engage in usury, take excess interest, and extort your neighbors. But Me you have forgotten, declares the Lord GOD. Now look, I strike My hands together against your unjust gain and against the blood you have shed in your midst.

Cheating and dishonest scales

Amos 8:4–8 See also Leviticus 19:35–36; Micah 6:10–13; Malachi 1:14 In this case, they were cheating the LORD.

Hear this, you who trample the needy, who do away with the poor of the land, asking, “When will the New Moon be over, that we may sell grain? When will the Sabbath end, that we may market wheat? Let us reduce the ephah and increase the shekel; let us cheat with dishonest scales. Let us buy the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the chaff with the wheat!” The LORD has sworn by the Pride of Jacob: “I will never forget any of their deeds. Will not the land quake for this, and all its dwellers mourn? All of it will swell like the Nile; it will surge and then subside like the Nile in Egypt.

Examples of dishonesty

Genesis 26:15–22 Abimelech's servants; Genesis 25:29–33, Genesis 27:6–29, Genesis 30:31–43; Genesis 29:21–30, Genesis 31:19 Rachel; Genesis 31:36–42 Laban; Joshua 7:11–26 Achan; 1 Kings 21:2–16 Ahab and Naboth's vineyard