False accusation

False accusation is charging someone with wrongdoing they did not commit. This page lists verses forbidding false witness and slander, the judgment of false witnesses, people who were falsely accused, Jesus before his accusers, prayers of the wrongly accused, and how to respond.

Do not bear false witness

• Exodus 20:16
  Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
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• Exodus 23:1
  Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.“You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.
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• Exodus 23:7
  Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty.
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• Leviticus 19:16
  Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the Lord.You must not go about spreading slander among your people. You must not endanger the life of your neighbor. I am the LORD.
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• Proverbs 24:28
  Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive not with thy lips.Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips.
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• Luke 3:14
  And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” “Do not take money by force or false accusation,” he said. “Be content with your wages.”
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The false witness judged

• Deuteronomy 19:16-19
  ¹⁶If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime, ¹⁷Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days;both parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time. ¹⁸And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother, ¹⁹Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. So you must purge the evil from among you.
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• Proverbs 19:5
  A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies will not escape.
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• Proverbs 19:9
  A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who pours out lies will perish.
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• Proverbs 21:28
  A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly.A lying witness will perish, but the man who listens to truth will speak forever.
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• Proverbs 25:18
  A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.Like a club or sword or sharp arrow is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor.
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People falsely accused

• Genesis 39:16-20
  ¹⁶And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home.So Potiphar’s wife kept Joseph’s cloak beside her until his master came home. ¹⁷And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me:Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me, ¹⁸And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out.but when I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.” ¹⁹And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,” he burned with anger. ²⁰And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.So Joseph’s master took him and had him thrown into the prison where the king’s prisoners were confined. While Joseph was there in the prison,
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• 1 Kings 21:13
  And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.And the two scoundrels came in and sat opposite Naboth, and these men testified against him before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.
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• Jeremiah 37:13-14
  ¹³And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans.But when he reached the Gate of Benjamin, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, seized him and said, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans!” ¹⁴Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.“That is a lie,” Jeremiah replied. “I am not deserting to the Chaldeans!” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and took him to the officials.
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• Daniel 6:4-5
  ⁴Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.Thus the administrators and satraps sought a charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find no charge or corruption, because he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him. ⁵Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.Finally these men said, “We will never find any charge against this Daniel, unless we find something against him concerning the law of his God.”
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• Acts 6:11-13
  ¹¹Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.Then they prompted some men to say, “We heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.” ¹²And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council,So they stirred up the people, elders, and scribes and confronted Stephen. They seized him and brought him before the Sanhedrin, ¹³And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:where they presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law.
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• Acts 25:7
  And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.When Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges that they could not prove.
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Jesus before his accusers

• Matthew 26:59-61
  ⁵⁹Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death. ⁶⁰But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward ⁶¹And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.and declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
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• Luke 23:2
  And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man subverting our nation, forbidding payment of taxes to Caesar, and proclaiming Himself to be Christ, a King.”
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• Matthew 27:12-14
  ¹²And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.And when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He gave no answer. ¹³Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?Then Pilate asked Him, “Do You not hear how many charges they are bringing against You?” ¹⁴And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.But Jesus gave no answer, not even to a single charge, much to the governor’s amazement.
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• 1 Peter 2:22-23
  ²²Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.” ²³Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.
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Prayers of the wrongly accused

• Psalm 27:12
  Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.Do not hand me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.
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• Psalm 35:11
  False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not.Hostile witnesses come forward; they make charges I know nothing about.
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• Psalm 109:2-4
  ²For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues. ³They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause. ⁴For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.
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• Psalm 69:4
  They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs of my head; many are those who would destroy me— my enemies for no reason. Though I did not steal, I must repay.
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• Psalm 119:69
  The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep Your precepts with all my heart.
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When wrongly accused

• Matthew 5:11-12
  ¹¹Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. ¹²Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.
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• 1 Peter 3:16
  Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.keeping a clear conscience, so that those who slander you may be put to shame by your good behavior in Christ.
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• 1 Peter 4:14-15
  ¹⁴If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. ¹⁵But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.Indeed, none of you should suffer as a murderer or thief or wrongdoer, or even as a meddler.
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• Psalm 37:5-6
  ⁵Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it. ⁶And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn, your justice like the noonday sun.
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• Isaiah 54:17
  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.
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See also

• Lying
• Gossip
• Persecution
• Justice
• Speech
• Malice

Notes

1. Verses are quoted in the translation chosen in the Translation menu at the top of the page. See Translations for sources and copyright notices.
2. Each reference links to the full chapter so the verse can be read in context.