'Truth' in the Bible

Send one of you [back home], and let him bring your brother [here], while [the rest of] you remain confined, so that your words may be tested, [to see] whether there is any truth in you [and your story]; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, certainly you are spies.”

Furthermore, you shall select from all the people competent men who [reverently] fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; you shall place these over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.

Now therefore, if you will in fact obey My voice and keep My covenant (agreement), then you shall be My own special possession and treasure from among all peoples [of the world], for all the earth is Mine;

Then the Lord passed by in front of him, and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth (faithfulness);

So Achan answered Joshua and said, “In truth, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this is what I have done:

“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in truth; remove the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the [Euphrates] River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

And now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are truth, and You have promised this good thing to Your servant.

so that the Lord may fulfill His promise concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons are careful regarding their way [of life], to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and mind and with all their soul, you shall not fail to have a man (descendant) on the throne of Israel.’

Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”

But the king [doubted him and] said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”

“Please, O Lord, remember now [with compassion] how I have walked before You in faithfulness and truth and with a whole heart [entirely devoted to You], and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Then the king said to him, “How many times must I warn you (make you swear an oath) to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”

He sent letters to all the Jews, to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, in words of peace and truth,

Or speak to the earth [with its many forms of life], and it will teach you;And let the fish of the sea declare [this truth] to you.

To whom alone the land was given,And no stranger passed among them [corrupting the truth].

“Now Job has not directed his words against me [therefore I have no reason to be offended],Nor will I answer him with arguments like yours. [I speak for truth, not for revenge.]

They speak deceitful and worthless words to one another;With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

He who walks with integrity and strength of character, and works righteousness,And speaks and holds truth in his heart.

Guide me in Your truth and teach me,For You are the God of my salvation;For You [and only You] I wait [expectantly] all the day long.

All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and goodness and truth and faithfulnessTo those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.

For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,And I have walked [faithfully] in Your truth.

“What profit is there in my blood (death), if I go down to the pit (grave)?Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness [to man]?

Into Your hand I commit my spirit;You have redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth and faithfulness.

I have not concealed Your righteousness within my heart;I have proclaimed Your faithfulness and Your salvation.I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great assembly.

Do not withhold Your compassion and tender mercy from me, O Lord;Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.

O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me;Let them bring me to Your holy hillAnd to Your dwelling places.

And in Your majesty ride on triumphantlyFor the cause of truth and humility and righteousness;Let Your right hand guide You to awesome things.

Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,And in the hidden part [of my heart] You will make me know wisdom.

He will send from heaven and save me;He calls to account him who tramples me down. Selah.God will send out His lovingkindness and His truth.

For Your faithfulness and lovingkindness are great, reaching to the heavens,And Your truth to the clouds.

You have set up a banner for those who fear You [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder—a banner to shield them from attack],A banner that may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.

But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, at an acceptable and opportune time;O God, in the greatness of Your favor and in the abundance of Your lovingkindness,Answer me with truth [that is, the faithfulness of Your salvation].

I will also praise You with the harp,Your truth and faithfulness, O my God;To You I will sing praises with the lyre,O Holy One of Israel.

I will open my mouth in a parable [to instruct using examples];I will utter dark and puzzling sayings of old [that contain important truth]—

Steadfast love and truth and faithfulness meet together;Righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Truth springs from the earth,And righteousness looks down from heaven.

Teach me Your way, O Lord,I will walk and live in Your truth;Direct my heart to fear Your name [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder].

But You, O Lord, are a God [who protects and is] merciful and gracious,Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;Lovingkindness and truth go before You.

He will cover you and completely protect you with His pinions,And under His wings you will find refuge;His faithfulness is a shield and a wall.

Before the Lord, for He is coming,For He is coming to judge the earth.He will judge the world with righteousnessAnd the peoples in His faithfulness.

He has [graciously] remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;All the ends of the earth have witnessed the salvation of our God.

For the Lord is good;His mercy and lovingkindness are everlasting,His faithfulness [endures] to all generations.

For Your lovingkindness is great and higher than the heavens;Your truth reaches to the skies.

The works of His hands are truth and [absolute] justice;All His precepts are sure (established, reliable, trustworthy).

They are upheld forever and ever;They are done in [absolute] truth and uprightness.

Not to us, O Lord, not to us,But to Your name give gloryBecause of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth and faithfulness.

For His lovingkindness prevails over us [and we triumph and overcome through Him],And the truth of the Lord endures forever.Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

I have chosen the faithful way;I have placed Your ordinances before me.

And do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,For I wait for Your ordinances.

Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,And Your law is truth.

You are near, O Lord,And all Your commandments are truth.

The sum of Your word is truth [the full meaning of all Your precepts],And every one of Your righteous ordinances endures forever.

The Lord swore to DavidA truth from which He will not turn back:“One of your descendants I will set upon your throne.

I will bow down [in worship] toward Your holy templeAnd give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth;For You have magnified Your word together with Your name.

The Lord is near to all who call on Him,To all who call on Him in truth (without guile).

Who made heaven and earth,The sea, and all that is in them,Who keeps truth and is faithful forever,

Do not let mercy and kindness and truth leave you [instead let these qualities define you];Bind them [securely] around your neck,Write them on the tablet of your heart.

“For my mouth will utter truth,And wickedness is repulsive and loathsome to my lips.

“All the words of my mouth are in righteousness (upright, in right standing with God);There is nothing contrary to truth or perverted (crooked) in them.

He who speaks truth [when he testifies] tells what is right,But a false witness utters deceit [in court].

By mercy and lovingkindness and truth [not superficial ritual] wickedness is cleansed from the heart,And by the fear of the Lord one avoids evil.

Loyalty and mercy, truth and faithfulness, protect the king,And he upholds his throne by lovingkindness.

To let you know the certainty of the words of truth,That you may give a correct answer to him who sent you?

Buy truth, and do not sell it;Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.

Therefore, remove sorrow and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, for childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.

The Preacher sought to find delightful words, even to write correctly words of truth.

In my ears the Lord of hosts said, “Be assured that many houses will become desolate,Even great and beautiful ones will be unoccupied.

Now in that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

A throne will be established in lovingkindness,And One will sit on it in faithfulness in the tent (dynasty, family) of David;Judging and seeking justiceAnd being prompt to do righteousness.

O Lord, You are my God;I will exalt You, I will praise and give thanks to Your name;For You have done miraculous things,Plans formed long, long ago, [fulfilled] with perfect faithfulness.

and said, “Please, O Lord, just remember how I have walked before You in faithfulness and truth, and with a whole heart [absolutely devoted to You], and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept greatly.

“It is the living who give praise and thanks to You, as I do today;A father tells his sons about Your faithfulness.

Who [among the idols] has declared this from the beginning, so that we could know?Or from earlier times, so that we could say, “He is [unquestionably] right!”?In fact, there was no one who declared it,Indeed, there was no one who proclaimed it;There was no one at all who heard you speak [for you pagan gods are speechless].

“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold;My Chosen One in whom My soul delights.I have put My Spirit upon Him;He will bring forth justice to the nations.

“A broken reed He will not break [off]And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish [He will not harm those who are weak and suffering];He will faithfully bring forth justice.

All the nations have gathered togetherSo that the peoples may be assembled.Who among them (the idolaters) can predict this [that Judah would return from captivity]And proclaim to us the former events?Let them provide their witnesses so that they may be justified,Or let them hear and say [in acknowledgement], “It is the truth.”

“I have not spoken in secret,In a corner of a land of darkness;I did not say to the descendants of Jacob,‘Seek Me in vain [with no benefit for yourselves].’I, the Lord, speak righteousness [the truth—trustworthy, a straightforward correlation between deeds and words],Declaring things that are upright.

“Hear this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of IsraelAnd who come from the seed of Judah,You who swear [allegiance] by the name of the LordAnd invoke the God of Israel,But not in truth (sincerity) nor in righteousness [with moral and spiritual integrity].

No one sues righteously [but for the sake of doing injury to others—to take some undue advantage], and no one pleads [his case] in truth; [but rather]They trust in empty arguments and speak lies;They conceive trouble and bring forth injustice.

Justice is pushed back,And righteous behavior stands far away;For truth has fallen in the city square,And integrity cannot enter.

Yes, truth is missing;And he who turns away from evil makes himself a prey.Now the Lord saw it,And it displeased Him that there was no justice.

He saw that there was no man,And was amazed that there was no one to intercede [on behalf of truth and right];Therefore His own arm brought salvation to Him,And His own righteousness sustained Him.

For I, the Lord, love justice;I hate robbery with a burnt offering.And I will faithfully reward them,And make an everlasting covenant with them.

“I looked, but there was no one to help,And I was amazed and appalled that there was no one to uphold [truth and right].So My own arm brought salvation to Me,And My wrath sustained Me.

“Because he who blesses himself on the earthWill bless himself by the God of truth and faithfulness;And he who swears [an oath] on the earthWill swear by the God of truth and faithfulness;Because the former troubles are forgotten,And because they are hidden from My sight.

And if you swear [your oaths], ‘As the Lord lives,’In truth, in justice, and in righteousness,Then the nations will bless themselves in Him,And in Him they will glory.”

“Roam back and forth through the streets of Jerusalem,And look now and take note.And look in her open squaresTo see if you can find a man [as Abraham sought in Sodom],One who is just, who [has integrity and moral courage and] seeks truth (faithfulness);Then I will pardon Jerusalem—[for the sake of one uncompromisingly righteous person].

O Lord, do not Your eyes look for truth?You [have seen their faithless heart and] have stricken them,But they did not weaken;You have consumed them,But they refused to take correction or instruction.They have made their faces harder than rock;They have refused to repent and return to You.

You shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God or accept correction and warning; truth and faithfulness have perished and have completely vanished from their mouths.

“How can you say, ‘We are wise,And the law of the Lord is with us [and we are learned in its language and teachings]’?Behold, [the truth is that] the lying pen of the scribesHas made the law into a lie [a mere code of ceremonial observances].

“Everyone deceives and mocks his neighborAnd does not speak the truth.They have taught their tongue to speak lies;They exhaust themselves with sin and cruelty.

But the Lord is the true God and the God who is Truth;He is the living God and the everlasting King.The earth quakes and shudders at His wrath,And the nations are not able to endure His indignation.

They are worthless and devoid of promise, a work of delusion and mockery;In their time of [trial and] punishment they will perish [without hope].

But I said, “Alas, Lord God! Behold, the [false] prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I [the Lord] will give you lasting peace in this place.’”

But know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on its inhabitants, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”

I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul.

Behold, [in the restored Jerusalem] I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace (prosperity, security, stability) and truth.

Azariah the son of Hoshaiah and Johanan the son of Kareah and all the proud and insolent men said to Jeremiah, “You are not telling the truth! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘Do not go into Egypt to live there.’

The king answered Daniel and said, “Most certainly your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery!”