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Sunday, July 27th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Bible in Basic English

Proverbs 19:28

A good-for-nothing witness makes sport of the judge's decision: and the mouth of evil-doers sends out evil like a stream.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Falsehood;   False Teachers;   Speaking;   The Topic Concordance - Judges;   Speech/communication;   Ungodliness;   Wickedness;   Witness;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Justice;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Justice;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Belial (Beliar);  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Mock;   Scorn;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Belial;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
A worthless witness mocks justice,and a wicked mouth swallows iniquity.
Hebrew Names Version
A corrupt witness mocks justice, And the mouth of the wicked gulps down iniquity.
King James Version
An ungodly witness scorneth judgment: and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity.
English Standard Version
A worthless witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
New American Standard Bible
A worthless witness makes a mockery of justice, And the mouth of the wicked swallows wrongdoing.
New Century Version
An evil witness makes fun of fairness, and wicked people love what is evil.
Amplified Bible
A wicked and worthless witness mocks justice, And the mouth of the wicked spreads iniquity.
World English Bible
A corrupt witness mocks justice, And the mouth of the wicked gulps down iniquity.
Geneva Bible (1587)
A wicked witnes mocketh at iudgement, & the mouth of ye wicked swalloweth vp iniquitie.
Legacy Standard Bible
A vile witness scoffs at justice,And the mouth of the wicked swallows up iniquity.
Berean Standard Bible
A corrupt witness mocks justice, and a wicked mouth swallows iniquity.
Contemporary English Version
A lying witness makes fun of the court system, and criminals think crime is really delicious.
Complete Jewish Bible
A worthless witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked swallows wrongdoing.
Darby Translation
A witness of Belial scorneth judgment, and the mouth of the wicked swalloweth down iniquity.
Easy-to-Read Version
Using a criminal as a witness makes a joke of justice. People like that only want to do wrong.
George Lamsa Translation
An ungodly witness scorns justice; and the mouth of the wicked devours him.
Good News Translation
There is no justice where a witness is determined to hurt someone. Wicked people love the taste of evil.
Lexham English Bible
A worthless witness will mock justice, and the mouth of the wicked will devour iniquity.
Literal Translation
A worthless witness scorns justice, and the mouth of the wicked devours evil.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
A false wytnes laugheth iudgmet to scorne, & the mouth of the vngodly eateth vp wickednes.
American Standard Version
A worthless witness mocketh at justice; And the mouth of the wicked swalloweth iniquity.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
An ungodly witness mocketh at right; and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity.
King James Version (1611)
An vngodly witnesse scorneth iudgement: and the mouth of the wicked deuoureth iniquitie.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
A wicked witnesse mocketh iudgement: and the mouth of the vngodly deuoureth wickednesse.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
He that becomes surety for a foolish child will despise the ordinance: and the mouth of ungodly men shall drink down judgement.
English Revised Version
A worthless witness mocketh at judgment: and the mouth of the wicked swalloweth iniquity.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
A wickid witnesse scorneth doom; and the mouth of vnpitouse men deuourith wickidnesse.
Update Bible Version
A worthless witness mocks at justice; And the mouth of the wicked swallows iniquity.
Webster's Bible Translation
An ungodly witness scorneth judgment: and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity.
New English Translation
A crooked witness scorns justice, and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
New King James Version
A disreputable witness scorns justice, And the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
New Living Translation
A corrupt witness makes a mockery of justice; the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.
New Life Bible
A man without worth who tells all he knows laughs at what is right and fair, and the mouth of the sinful spreads wrong-doing.
New Revised Standard
A worthless witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
An abandoned witness, scorneth justice, and, the mouth of lawless men, swalloweth iniquity.
Douay-Rheims Bible
An unjust witness scorneth judgment: and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity.
Revised Standard Version
A worthless witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
Young's Literal Translation
A worthless witness scorneth judgment, And the mouth of the wicked swalloweth iniquity.
THE MESSAGE
An unprincipled witness desecrates justice; the mouths of the wicked spew malice.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
A rascally witness makes a mockery of justice, And the mouth of the wicked spreads iniquity.

Contextual Overview

28 A good-for-nothing witness makes sport of the judge's decision: and the mouth of evil-doers sends out evil like a stream.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

An ungodly witness: Heb. a witness of Belial, 1 Kings 21:10, 1 Kings 21:13, Acts 6:11-13

scorneth: Psalms 10:5, Psalms 10:11, Isaiah 28:14-18, Luke 18:2-4

the: Proverbs 15:14, Job 15:16, Job 20:12, Job 20:13, Job 34:7, Hosea 4:8

Reciprocal: Exodus 23:1 - an unrighteous witness Proverbs 12:17 - but

Cross-References

Genesis 19:10
But the men put out their hands and took Lot into the house to them, shutting the door again.
Genesis 19:11
But the men who were outside the door they made blind, all of them, small and great, so that they were tired out with looking for the door.
Psalms 107:34
He makes a fertile country into a salt waste, because of the sins of those who are living there.
2 Peter 2:7
And kept safe Lot, the upright man, who was deeply troubled by the unclean life of the evil-doers
Jude 1:7
Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the towns near them, having like these, given themselves up to unclean desires and gone after strange flesh, have been made an example, undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.
Revelation 9:2
And he made the great deep open and a smoke went up from it, like the smoke of a great oven; and the sun and the air were made dark because of the smoke.
Revelation 18:9
And the kings of the earth, who made themselves unclean with her, and in her company gave themselves up to evil, will be weeping and crying over her, when they see the smoke of her burning,
Revelation 18:18
And crying out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What town is like the great town?
Revelation 19:3
And again they said, Praise to the Lord. And her smoke went up for ever and ever.
Revelation 21:8
But those who are full of fear and without faith, the unclean and takers of life, those who do the sins of the flesh, and those who make use of evil powers or who give worship to images, and all those who are false, will have their part in the sea of ever-burning fire which is the second death.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

An ungodly witness scorneth judgment,.... Or, "a witness of Belial" z. A false witness is not awed by the place of judgment where he is; nor by the judge before whom he is; nor by the law, the rule of judgment, nor by the punishment of perjury; he scorns all these, and scoffs at them, and proceeds in bearing a false testimony: or he covers that which is right and just, and eludes judgment by specious and sophistic arguments and pretences. Or this may be understood of a false teacher, that scorns the rule of judgment, or colours over things, to make them plausible, and seem to be agreeable to it;

and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity; greedily, and with pleasure commits it; as a hungry man takes in his food; or a thirsty man drinks down water: and in like manner are false doctrines imbibed by men of perverse minds.

z עד בליעל "testis Belijahal", Montanus, Tigurine version, Baynus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Ungodly witness - literally, “Witness of Belial,” “worthless,” “untruthful.”

Devoureth iniquity - Seizes on it eagerly, as a dainty, lives on it.


 
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