59 Bible Verses about Deception

Then began he to curse and to swear, that he knew not the man. And immediately the cock crew.

And Jacob said unto his father, "I am Esau, thy eldest son. I have done according as thou baddest me: up and sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me."

Say, I pray thee therefore, that thou art my sister; that I may fare the better by reason of thee, and that my soul may live for thy sake."

And Abraham said of Sara his wife, that she was his sister. Then Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent and fetched Sara away.

And the men of the place asked him of his wife, and he said that she was his sister: for he feared to call her his wife lest the men of the place should have killed him for her sake, because she was beautiful to the eye.

Thou shalt destroy the liars; the LORD will abhor both the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

For many deceivers are entered into the world, which confess not Jesus Christ as coming, or returning in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

But as for them, thou, O God, shalt bring them into the pit of destruction. The bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days. Nevertheless, my trust shall be in thee, O LORD.

A faithful witness delivereth souls; but a liar deceiveth them.

Like as one shooteth deadly arrows and darts out of a privy place, even so doth a dissembler with his neighbour. And then sayeth he, "I did it but in sport!"

they played wilily, and went and sent ambassadors: and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles old and rent and knit together again,

and sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child. And when ye have found him, bring me word, that I may come and worship him also."

Then said the serpent unto the woman, "Tush, ye shall not die:

And Ehud came in unto him in a summer parlor, of which he had several unto himself alone, and said, "I have a message unto thee from God." And he arose out of his seat.

And Amnon lay down and made himself sick. And when the king was come to see him, Amnon said unto him, "Let Tamar my sister come and make me a couple of fritters in my sight, that I may eat of her hand."

Dearly beloved, now are we the sons of God, and yet it doth not appear what we shall be. But we know that when it shall appear, we shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is.

Be not deceived: malicious speakings corrupt good manners.

Let no man deceive you with vain words. For through such things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of unbelief.

We beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in that we shall assemble unto him, that ye be not suddenly moved from your mind, and be not troubled; neither by spirit, neither by words, nor yet by letter, which should seem to come from us, as though the day of Christ were at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means, for the Lord cometh not, except there come a departing first, and that that sinful man be opened, the son of perdition;

Favour is a deceitful thing, and beauty is vanity; but a woman that feareth God, she shall be praised.

The thoughts of the righteous are right; but the imagination of the ungodly are deceitful.

Faithful are the wounds of a lover, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

The wisdom of him that hath understanding is to take heed unto his way; but the foolishness of the unwise deceiveth.

Among all things living, man hath the most deceitful and unsearchable heart. Who shall then know it? "Even I the LORD search out the ground of the heart, and try the reins, and reward every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his counsels."

If any man seem to himself that he is somewhat, when indeed he is nothing, the same deceiveth himself in his imagination. Let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in his own self, and not in another.

And see that ye be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves with sophistry. For if any hear the word, and do it not, he is like unto a man that beholdeth his bodily face in a glass. For as soon as he hath looked on himself, he goeth his way, and forgetteth immediately what his fashion was: read more.
but whoso looketh in the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein - if he be not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work - the same shall be happy in his deed. If any man among you seem devout, and refrain not his tongue: but deceive his own heart, this man's devotion is in vain.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and truth is not in us.

because thou sayest thou art rich and increased with goods, and hast need of nothing, and knowest not how thou art wretched and miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

Say, I pray thee therefore, that thou art my sister; that I may fare the better by reason of thee, and that my soul may live for thy sake."

And Abraham said of Sara his wife, that she was his sister. Then Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent and fetched Sara away.

The remnant of Israel shall do no wickedness, nor speak lies: neither shall there any deceitful tongue be found in their mouths. For they shall be fed, and take their rest, and no man shall make them afraid.

Be no false witness against thy neighbour, and hurt him not with thy lips.

Every man liketh the bread that is gotten in deceit; but at the last his mouth shall be filled with gravel.

If any man seem to himself that he is somewhat, when indeed he is nothing, the same deceiveth himself in his imagination.

And Absalom and all the people of the men of Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. And as soon as he was come, Hushai the Archite went unto Absalom and said unto him, "God save the king, God save the king." And Absalom said again to Hushai, "Is this the kindness thou owest to thy friend? Why wentest thou not with him?" read more.
And Hushai said unto Absalom, "Nay, not so: but whom the LORD and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his will I be, and with him will I dwell. And furthermore, unto whom shall I do service but even to his son? And as I was servant before with thy father, even so shall I be with thee."

And David arose and fled the same day from the presence of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. And the servants of Achish said of him, "Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing unto this fellow in dances saying, 'Saul hath slain his thousand, and David his ten thousand'?" And David put those words into his heart and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. read more.
And he changed his countenance before them, and raved in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. Then said Achish unto his servant, "Lo, ye saw that this man was beside himself; wherefore then have ye brought him to me? Lack I madmen, that ye have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? He shall not come into my house."

And he came to the king and said, "Behold, thy servant hath a sheep shearing. Let the king and his servants come with thy servant." And the king said unto Absalom, "Oh nay my son let us not go every one of us that we be not chargeable unto thee." And Absalom lay sore upon him: howbeit, he would not go, but blessed him. Then said Absalom, "Then let my brother Amnon go with us." And the king answered, "What needeth it that he go with thee?" read more.
But Absalom made such insistence that he let Amnon go with him, and all the king's children. Then Absalom commanded his young men, saying, "Mark when Amnon's heart is merry with wine; and when I bid you smite Amnon, then kill him. Fear not, for it is I that bid you. Be bold therefore and play the lusty bloods."

The keeping of dust, and foolishness of heart hath turned them aside: so that none of them can have a free conscience to think, "Do not I err?"

And when Reuben came again unto the pit and found not Joseph there, he rent his clothes, and went again unto his brethren, saying, "The lad is not yonder, and whither shall I go?" And they took Joseph's coat and killed a goat, and dipped the coat in the blood. read more.
And they sent that gay coat and caused it to be brought unto their father and said, "This have we found: see, whether it be thy son's coat or no." And he knew it, saying, "It is my son's coat: a wicked beast hath devoured him, and Joseph is rent in pieces." And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth about his loins, and sorrowed for his son a long season. Then came all his sons and all his daughters to comfort him. And he would not be comforted, but said, "I will go down into the grave unto my son, mourning." And thus his father wept for him.

Then the sons of Jacob answered to Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, because he had defiled Dina their sister. And they said unto them, "We cannot do this thing, that we should give our sister to one that is uncircumcised, for that were a shame unto us. Only in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that all the men children among you be circumcised, read more.
then will we give our daughter to you and take yours to us, and will dwell with you and be one people. But and if ye will not hearken unto us to be circumcised, then will we take our daughter and go our ways." And their words pleased Hamor and Shechem his son. And the young man deferred not for to do the thing, because he had a lust to Jacob's daughter: he was also most set by of all that were in his father's house. Then Hamor and Shechem went unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying, "These men are peaceable with us, and will dwell in the land and do their occupation therein; And in the land is room enough for them, let us take their daughters to wives and give them ours; only herein will they consent unto us for to dwell with us and to be one people: if all the men children that are among us be circumcised as they are. Their goods and their substance and all their cattle are ours, only let us consent unto them, that they may dwell with us." And unto Hamor and Shechem his son hearkened all that went out at the gate of his city. And all the men children were circumcised, whatsoever went out at the gates of his city. And the third day, when it was painful to them, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dina's brethren, took either of them his sword and went into the city boldly, and slew all that was male; and slew also Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dina their sister out of Shechem's house, and went their way. Then came the sons of Jacob upon the deed, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister: and took their sheep, oxen, asses and whatsoever was in the city and also in the fields. And all their goods, all their children and their wives took they captive, and made havoc of all that was in the houses. And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "Ye have troubled me, and made me stink unto the inhabiters of the land, both to the Canaanites and also unto the Perizzites. And I am few in number. Wherefore they shall gather themselves together against me and slay me, and so shall I and my house be destroyed." And they answered, "Should they deal with our sister as with an whore?"

And Amnon lay down and made himself sick. And when the king was come to see him, Amnon said unto him, "Let Tamar my sister come and make me a couple of fritters in my sight, that I may eat of her hand." And David sent home to Tamar, saying, "Go to thy brother Amnon's house and dress him meat. When Tamar came to her brother Amnon's house, he lay. And she took flour and made paste and made fritters in his sight and did bake them, read more.
and took a platter and poured them out before him. And Amnon would not eat, but commanded to have out all men from him. And they went all out from him. Then said Amnon unto Tamar, "Bring the meat into the chamber that I may eat it of thine hand." And Tamar took the fritters which she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother, and set them before him to eat. And he took her and said unto her, "Come, lie with me my sister." And she answered him, "Nay, my brother, do not force me, for it ought not to be so in Israel. Do not this folly. For whither shall I go with my shame? And thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. But speak unto the king, and he shall not deny me unto thee." Howbeit, he would not hearken unto her voice but was too strong for her and forced her and lay with her.

she spake unto Jacob her son, saying, "Behold, I have heard thy father talking with Esau thy brother, and saying, 'bring me venison and make me meat, that I may eat and bless thee before the LORD yer I die.' Now therefore, my son, hear my voice in that which I command thee: read more.
get thee to the flock, and bring me thence two good kids, and I will make meat of them for thy father, such as he loveth. And thou shalt bring it to thy father and he shall eat, that he may bless thee before his death." Then said Jacob to Rebekah his mother, "Behold, Esau my brother is rough and I am smooth. My father shall peradventure feel me, and I shall seem unto him as though I went about to beguile him, and so shall he bring a curse upon me and not a blessing." And his mother said unto him, "Upon me be thy curse, my son, only hear my voice, and go and fetch me them." And Jacob went and fetched them and brought them to his mother. And his mother made meat of them, according as his father loved. And she went and fetched goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau which she had in the house with her, and put them upon Jacob her youngest son, and she put the skins upon his hands and upon the smooth of his neck. And she put the meat and bread which she had made in the hand of her son Jacob. And he went in to his father saying, "My father." And he answered, "Here am I, who art thou my son?" And Jacob said unto his father, "I am Esau, thy eldest son. I have done according as thou baddest me: up and sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me." But Isaac said unto his son, "How cometh it that thou hast found it so quickly my son?" He answered, "The LORD thy God brought it to my hand." Then said Isaac unto Jacob, "Come near and let me feel thee my son, whether thou be my son Esau or not." Then went Jacob to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said the voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. And he knew him not, because his hands were rough as his brother Esau's hands and so he blessed him.

But when the Inhabiters of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho, and Ai, they played wilily, and went and sent ambassadors: and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles old and rent and knit together again, and old clouted shoes upon their feet, and old raiment upon them and all their provision of bread was dried up and hoared. read more.
And they came unto Joshua, unto the host to Gilgal, and said unto him and unto the men of Israel, "We be come from a far country, now therefore make agreement with us." And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, "Peradventure you dwell among us, and then how should we make peace with you?" And they said unto Joshua, "We are thy servants." And Joshua said unto them, "What are ye, and whence come ye?" And they answered him, "From a very far country thy servants are come, in the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites beyond Jordan, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan which dwelt at Ashtaroth. Wherefore our elders and all the inhabiters of our country spake to us saying, 'Take victuals with you to serve by the way, and go against them, and say unto them: We are your servants.' Now therefore make a covenant of peace with us. This, our provision of bread, we took with us out of our houses, hot, the day we departed to come unto you. And now behold it is dried up and hoared. And these bottles of wine which we filled were new: and see, they be rent. And these our garments and shoes are waxen old by reason of the exceeding long journey." And the men took of their victuals, and counseled not with the mouth of the LORD. And Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to save their lives: and the lords of the congregation sware unto them.

And then they cried unto the LORD. And the LORD stirred them up a saver, Ehud the son of Gera, the son of Jemini, a man that could do nothing handsomely with his right hand. And when the children of Israel sent a present by him unto Eglon the king of the Moabites, Ehud made him a two-edged dagger of a span long, and girded it under his garment upon his right thigh; and brought the present unto Eglon the king of the Moabites. As for Eglon, he was a very fat man. read more.
And when he had delivered the present, he let the people go that had carried the present, and he himself turned back from the idols at Gilgal, and caused to say thus: "I have a secret thing to tell thee, O king." And the king commanded to keep silence, and all they that stood about him went out from him. And Ehud came in unto him in a summer parlor, of which he had several unto himself alone, and said, "I have a message unto thee from God." And he arose out of his seat. And Ehud put forth his left hand and took the dagger from his right thigh and thrust it into his belly, so that the hilt went in also, and the fat closed upon the hilt: for he drew not the dagger out of his belly. And filthiness departed from him. But Ehud gat him out at the back door, and put to the door after him, and locked it. When he was gone out, his servants came and looked. And behold, the doors of the parlor were locked. And they said, "Ah, he is doing of his easement in his summer chamber." And when they had tarried till they were ashamed, for no man did the doors of the parlor open: then they took a key and opened them. And behold, their lord was fallen down dead upon the earth. But Ehud escaped while they tarried, and was gone beyond the idols and escaped into Seirah. And when he was come, he blew a trumpet in mount Ephraim. And the children of Israel went down with him off the hill and he before them. And he said unto them, "Follow me: for the LORD hath delivered your enemies, the Moabites into your hands." And they descended after him and took the passages of Jordan from the Moabites, and suffered not a man to pass over. And they slew of the Moabites, the same time, upon a ten thousand men, all nobles, and men of might: that there escaped not a man, and so the Moabites were subdued that day, under the hands of Israel: and the land had rest eighty years.

And after that he loved a woman, upon the river of Sorek, called Delilah - unto whom came the lords of the Philistines, and said unto her, "Flatter with him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may have power over him, that we may bind him, to bring him under, and we will give every man eleven hundred silverlings." And Delilah said to Samson, "Oh, tell me where thy great strength lieth, and if thou were bound wherewith men might constrain thee." read more.
And Samson said unto her, "If men bound me with seven ropes of fresh sinews that were never dried, I should be weak and as another man." And then the lords of the Philistines brought her seven withies that were yet green and never dried and she bound him therewith. Notwithstanding, she had men lying in wait with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson." And he brake the cords as a string of tow breaketh, when it feeleth fire. And so his strength was not known. Then said Delilah to Samson, "See: thou hast mocked me and told me lies. Now yet tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound." And he said, "If I were bound with new ropes that never were occupied, then should I be weak, and as another man." And Delilah took new ropes and bound him therewith, and said unto him, "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson." And there were layers of wait in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms, as they had been but a thread. And Delilah said unto Samson, "Hitherto, thou hast beguiled me and told me lies: I pray thee yet, tell me wherewith men may bind thee." And he said unto her, "If thou plaitedest the seven locks of my head with a hair lace and fastenedest them with a nail." And she said unto him, "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson." And he awaked out of his sleep, and plucked and went away with the nail that was in the plaiting and with the hair lace. Then she said unto him, "How canst thou say that thou lovest me, when thine heart is not with me? For thou hast mocked me this three times, and hast not told wherein thy great strength lieth." And as she lay upon him with her words continually vexing of him, his soul was encumbered even unto the death. And he told her all his heart, and said unto her, "There never came razor nor shears upon mine head, for I have been an abstainer to God even from my mother's womb. If mine hair were cut off, my strength would go from me, and I should wax and be like all other men." And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent for the Philistines saying, "Come up yet this once, for he hath showed me all his heart." Then the lords of the Philistines came and brought the money in their hands. And she made him sleep upon her lap, and sent for a man, and cut off the seven locks of his head and began to vex him. But his strength was gone from him. And she said, "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson." And he awoke out of his sleep and thought to go out as at other times before and shake himself, and knew not that the LORD was departed from him.

If any man among you seem devout, and refrain not his tongue: but deceive his own heart, this man's devotion is in vain.

For he flattereth himself in his own sight, until his abominable sin be found out.

And see that ye be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves with sophistry.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and truth is not in us.

And the old prophet said unto him, "I am a prophet as well as thou, and an Angel spake unto me with the word of the LORD saying, 'Bring him again with thee to thine house, and let him eat bread and drink water.' Bvt he lied unto him.

Mine own brethren pass over by me, as the water brook that hastily runneth through the valleys.

And at forty years' end Absalom said unto the king, "Let me go, I pray thee, to Hebron; and pay my vow which I have vowed unto the LORD.

And they sent unto him their disciples with Herod's servants, saying, "Master, we know that thou art true, and that thou teachest the way of God truly, neither carest for any man, for thou considerest not men's estate.

And when he was departed from him a furlong of ground, Gehazi the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, "Behold, my master hath spared Naaman, this Syrian, so that he hath not taken from him that which he brought! As surely as the LORD liveth, I will run after him and take somewhat."

And behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, "Master what shall I do, to inherit eternal life?"

And the men of the place asked him of his wife, and he said that she was his sister: for he feared to call her his wife lest the men of the place should have killed him for her sake, because she was beautiful to the eye.

After two days followed Easter, and the days of sweet bread. And the high priests and the scribes sought means, how they might take him by craft and put him to death.

Thy tongue imagineth wickedness, and with lies it cutteth like a sharp razor.

A certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

Then said the serpent unto the woman, "Tush, ye shall not die:

and sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child. And when ye have found him, bring me word, that I may come and worship him also."