26 Bible Verses About Lying (NIV & KJV)

Few sins feel as small in the moment and as costly over time as a lie. A half-truth here, an exaggeration there, a quiet cover-up, and slowly trust erodes. Scripture never treats deception as harmless. From the garden to the final pages of Revelation, the Bible shows that lies wound relationships, dishonor God, and trap the one who tells them.

These Bible verses about lying gather the Word's clear teaching on honesty, false witness, and the freedom that comes from walking in truth. They are for anyone fighting the habit of deceit, anyone hurt by another's dishonesty, and anyone who simply wants their words to be trustworthy.

As you read, let these verses do more than condemn. Let them call you home to the God of truth, who forgives the repentant and gives grace to speak honestly again.

🚫 God Hates a Lying Tongue

Scripture is direct about how the Lord views deception.

“The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.”— Proverbs 12:22 (NIV)“Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.”— Proverbs 12:22 (KJV)

“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,”— Proverbs 6:16-17 (NIV)“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,”— Proverbs 6:16-17 (KJV)

“A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will not go free.”— Proverbs 19:5 (NIV)“A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.”— Proverbs 19:5 (KJV)

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”— Exodus 20:16 (NIV)“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”— Exodus 20:16 (KJV)

“you destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, Lord, detest.”— Psalm 5:6 (NIV)“Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.”— Psalm 5:6 (KJV)

🗣️ The Call to Speak Truth

God's people are called to honesty in every word.

“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”— Ephesians 4:25 (NIV)“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.”— Ephesians 4:25 (KJV)

“Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices”— Colossians 3:9 (NIV)“Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;”— Colossians 3:9 (KJV)

“These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts;”— Zechariah 8:16 (NIV)“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:”— Zechariah 8:16 (KJV)

“Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.”— Proverbs 12:19 (NIV)“The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.”— Proverbs 12:19 (KJV)

“An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies.”— Proverbs 12:17 (NIV)“He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit.”— Proverbs 12:17 (KJV)

⚖️ Deceit Brings Its Own Trap

The Bible warns that lies turn back on the liar.

“Food gained by fraud tastes sweet, but one ends up with a mouth full of gravel.”— Proverbs 20:17 (NIV)“Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.”— Proverbs 20:17 (KJV)

“A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.”— Proverbs 21:6 (NIV)“The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.”— Proverbs 21:6 (KJV)

“No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence.”— Psalm 101:7 (NIV)“He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.”— Psalm 101:7 (KJV)

“An honest witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.”— Proverbs 14:5 (NIV)“A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.”— Proverbs 14:5 (KJV)

“A false witness will perish, but a careful listener will testify successfully.”— Proverbs 21:28 (NIV)“A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly.”— Proverbs 21:28 (KJV)

😈 The Father of Lies

Scripture traces deception back to its source and warns of its end.

“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”— John 8:44 (NIV)“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.”— John 8:44 (KJV)

“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.””— Revelation 21:8 (NIV)“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.”— Revelation 21:8 (KJV)

“Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”— Revelation 22:15 (NIV)“For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”— Revelation 22:15 (KJV)

🕊️ The God Who Cannot Lie

Truthfulness flows from the unchanging character of God Himself.

“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”— Numbers 23:19 (NIV)“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?”— Numbers 23:19 (KJV)

“in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,”— Titus 1:2 (NIV)“In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;”— Titus 1:2 (KJV)

“Psalm 15 Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart;”— Psalm 15:1-2 (NIV)“LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.”— Psalm 15:1-2 (KJV)

“Buy the truth and do not sell it— wisdom, instruction and insight as well.”— Proverbs 23:23 (NIV)“Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.”— Proverbs 23:23 (KJV)

“Save me, Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.”— Psalm 120:2 (NIV)“Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.”— Psalm 120:2 (KJV)

“Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me and teach me your law.”— Psalm 119:29 (NIV)“Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.”— Psalm 119:29 (KJV)

What Does the Bible Say About Lying?

The Bible teaches that lying is sin because it opposes the very nature of God, who is truth and cannot lie. From the ninth commandment forbidding false witness to Proverbs naming a lying tongue as an abomination, Scripture treats deception as a serious offense that damages community and grieves the Lord. Jesus identified Satan as the father of lies, showing that all dishonesty has a dark origin.

Yet the Bible does not leave us in condemnation. It calls believers to put away falsehood, to speak truth with one another, and to reflect God's faithfulness in their words. Honesty is not merely a rule but a return to the character of the God who made us. When we confess our deceit and turn back, we find a Father quick to forgive and ready to make us trustworthy again.

If these verses stirred your heart, keep growing in truth with our collections of Bible verses about gossip, Bible verses about repentance, and Bible verses about trust.