Proverbs 17:23

Proverbs Of Solomon

²² A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit dries up the bones. ²³ A wicked man secretly takes a bribe
to subvert the course of justice. ²⁴ Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive,
but a fool’s eyes roam to the ends of the earth.

Paths of Justice

Pervert Justice

Turn Aside

Exodus 23:8

You must not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and corrupts the words of the righteous.

Proverbs 17:8

A bribe seems like a magic stone to its owner;
wherever he turns, he succeeds.

Micah 7:3

Both hands are good at accomplishing evil:
the official and the judge demand a bribe;
when the powerful man communicates his evil desire,
they plot it together.

Deuteronomy 16:19

Do not deny justice or show partiality to anyone. Do not accept a bribe, for it blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.

1 Samuel 8:3

However, his sons did not walk in his ways—they turned toward dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.

1 Samuel 12:3

Here I am. Bring charges against me before the Lord and His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I wronged or mistreated? From whose hand have I taken a bribe to overlook something? I will return it to you.”

Proverbs 18:16

A gift opens doors for a man
and brings him before the great.

Proverbs 21:14

A secret gift soothes anger,
and a covert bribe, fierce rage.

Isaiah 1:23

Your rulers are rebels,
friends of thieves.
They all love graft
and chase after bribes.
They do not defend the rights of the fatherless,
and the widow’s case never comes before them.

Ezekiel 22:12

People who live in you accept bribes in order to shed blood. You take interest and profit on a loan and brutally extort your neighbors. You have forgotten Me.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

Micah 3:11

Her leaders issue rulings for a bribe,
her priests teach for payment,
and her prophets practice divination for money.
Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,
“Isn’t the Lord among us?
No disaster will overtake us.”

Mark 14:10-11

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to hand Him over to them.