40 Bible Verses about Pretence

Right at that time, Jeroboam's son Abijah became ill, so Jeroboam suggested to his wife, "Get up, disguise yourself so that no one will know that you're Jeroboam's wife, and go to Shiloh where the prophet Ahijah lives. He's the one who told me that I would be king over this people. Take ten loaves with you, some cakes, and a jar of honey and go visit him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy."read more.
So that's what Jeroboam's wife did. She got up, went to Shiloh, and found Ahijah's home. Ahijah was blind, because his eyes could not focus due to his age. Meanwhile, the LORD had spoken to Ahijah, "Be on your guard! Jeroboam's wife is coming to ask you about her son, because he is ill. You're to say such and such to her. When she arrives, she will pretend to be someone else!" When she arrived, Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came through the doorway. He said this to her:

Now Rebekah overheard Isaac while he was speaking to his son Esau. When Esau had gone out to the field to hunt and bring in some game, Rebekah gave these instructions to her son Jacob: "Quick! Pay attention!" she said. "I heard your father talking to your brother Esau. He told him, "Bring me some game and then prepare some food for me so I can eat and bless you in the presence of the LORD before I die.' read more.
So now, my son, listen to what I have to say and pay attention to what I'm about to tell you. Go to the flock and bring me two healthy young goats. I'll prepare some delicious food for your father, just the way he loves it. Then you are to take it to your father so that he can eat and bless you before he dies." "But look!" Jacob pointed out to his mother Rebekah, "My brother Esau is a hairy man, but I'm smooth skinned. My father might touch me and he'll realize that I'm deceiving him. Then, I'll bring a curse on myself instead of a blessing." "My son," she replied, "let any curse against you fall on me. Just listen to me, then go and get them for me." So out he went, got them, and brought them to his mother, who then prepared some delicious food, just the way his father liked it. Then Rebekah took some garments that belonged to her elder son Esau the best ones available and put them on her younger son Jacob. She put some goat skins over his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. Then she handed the delicious food and bread that she had prepared to her son Jacob, who went to his father and said, "My father"" "It's me!" he replied. "Which one are you, my son?" "I'm Esau, your firstborn!" Jacob told his father. "I've done what you asked, so please sit up and eat what I caught, so you can bless me."

Now Laban happened to have two daughters. The older one was named Leah and the younger was named Rachel. Leah looked rather plain, but Rachel was lovely in form and appearance. Jacob loved Rachel, so he made this offer to Laban: "I'll serve you for seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."read more.
"It's better that I give her to you than to another man," Laban replied, "so stay with me." Jacob served seven years for Rachel, but it seemed like only a few days because of his love for her. Eventually, Jacob told Laban, "Bring me my wife, now that my time of service has been completed, so I can go be with her." So Laban gathered all the men who lived in that place and held a wedding festival. That night Laban took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob. He had marital relations with her. Laban also gave his servant woman Zilpah to Leah to be her maidservant. The next morning, Jacob realized that it was Leah! "What have you done to me?" he demanded of Laban. "Didn't I serve you for seven years in order to marry Rachel? Why did you deceive me?"

"Look!" somebody reported to Tamar, "Your father-in-law is going to Timnah to shear his sheep." So she took off her mourning apparel, covered herself with a shawl, and concealed her outward appearance. Then she went out and sat at the entrance of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah, because she knew that even though Shelah had grown up, she wasn't being given to him as his wife. When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, since she had concealed her face. read more.
So on the way, he turned aside, approached her, and said, "Come on! Let's have some sex!" But he didn't realize that he was talking to his own daughter-in-law. "What will you give me," she asked, "in order to have sex with me?"

Meanwhile, Zeruiah's son Joab knew that the king's attention was focused on Absalom, so he sent messengers to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, "Please play the role of a mourner, wear the clothes of a mourner, and refrain from using makeup. Act like a woman who's been in mourning for the dead for many days. Then go to the king and speak to him like this"" Then Joab told her what to say.

As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he knew who they were, but he remained disguised and asked them gruffly, "Where are you from?" "From the land of Canaan," they replied. "We're here to buy food."

But Jacob's sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceptively, because Shechem had dishonored their sister Dinah. They told them, "We can't do this. We can't give our sister to a man who isn't circumcised, because that would be insulting to us. But we'll agree to your request, only if you will become like us by circumcising every male among you.

Sometime after this, David's son Amnon fell in love with David's other son Absalom's beautiful sister Tamar. Amnon became so emotionally distressed that he fell sick over his half-sister Tamar. She was a virgin, and Amnon found it difficult to do anything to her. Meanwhile, Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, who was the son of David's brother Shimeah. Now Jonadab was a very shrewd man. read more.
"Why are you so depressed these past few mornings," Jonadab asked Amnon, "since you're a son of the king? Why not tell me?" Amnon replied, "I'm in love with my brother Absalom's sister Tamar." Jonadab advised him, "Lie down and pretend to be sick. When your father visits you, ask him, "Please let my sister Tamar come and give me something to eat that she prepares especially for me, and after she makes dinner for me, let her feed it to me personally.'" So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. When the king came to visit him, Amnon asked the king, "Please let my sister Tamar come and make some of her bread especially for me, so she can feed it to me personally." So David sent for Tamar back at the palace, telling her, "Please go to your brother Amnon's home and prepare some food for him." Tamar went to her brother Amnon's home, where he was lying down. She brought along some dough, kneaded it, prepared some cakes especially for him, baked them, and emptied the baking skillet just for him, but he refused to eat. "Send everybody out of here," Amnon said. So everyone left the room. Amnon told Tamar, "Bring the food into my private bedroom, so I can eat it with you personally." So Tamar took the cakes she had prepared and brought them into the private bedroom for her brother Amnon. But as soon as she brought them near him to eat, he overpowered her and told her, "Come here and have sex with me, my sister!"

Then Jehu assembled all the people and announced to them, "Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him a lot! Therefore summon all of Baal's prophets to me, including all his worshipers and all his priests. Don't leave even one out, because I've prepared a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever doesn't show up doesn't live!" But Jehu did this deceptively, intending to destroy Baal's worshippers.

One person pretends to be wealthy, but has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet is rich.

You yourself live in the midst of deception, and because they are deceived they do not know me," declares the LORD. Therefore, this is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: "Look, I'm about to refine and test them. Because they're my people, what else can I do? Their tongue is a deadly arrow that speaks deceit. With his mouth a person says, "Peace,' to his friend, but inwardly he sets a trap for him.read more.
Should I not punish them for these things?" asks the LORD, "and should I not avenge myself on a nation like this?"

Then the Pharisees went and planned how to trap Jesus in conversation. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. They said, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere and that you teach the way of God truthfully. You don't favor any individual, because you pay no attention to external appearance. So tell us what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"read more.
Recognizing their wickedness, Jesus asked, "Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax." They brought him a denarius. Then he asked them, "Whose face and name is this?" They told him, "Caesar's." So he told them, "Then give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." When they heard this, they were amazed. Then they left him and went away.

Then they sent some Pharisees and some Herodians to him, intending to trap him in what he said. They came and told him, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere. You don't favor any individual, because you pay no attention to external appearance. Rather, you teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them or shouldn't we?" Seeing through their hypocrisy, Jesus replied to them, "Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it."read more.
So they brought one. Then he asked them, "Whose face and name are on this?" They told him, "Caesar's." So Jesus told them, "Give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they were utterly amazed at him.

So they watched him closely and sent spies who pretended to be honest men in order to trap him in what he would say. They wanted to hand him over to the jurisdiction of the governor, so they asked him, "Teacher, we know that you're right in what you say and teach, and that you don't favor any individual, but teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"read more.
But he discerned their craftiness and responded to them, "Show me a denarius. Whose face and name does it have?" "Caesar's," they replied. So he told them, "Then give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." So they couldn't catch him before the people in what he said. Amazed at his answer, they became silent.

But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they took the initiative by preparing their provisions shrewdly: they took tattered sacks for their donkeys, worn-out, torn, and mended wineskins, worn-out, patched sandals for their feet, and worn-out clothes. All of their food was dried out and covered in mold. read more.
Then they approached Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and addressed him and the Israelis, "We've arrived from a distant country, so please make a treaty with us right now." But the Israelis responded to the Hivites, "Perhaps you live in our midst. If this is so, how can we make a treaty with you?" So they responded to Joshua, "We are your servants." Joshua asked them, "Who are you? And where did you come from?" They answered, "Your servants have arrived from a very distant land, because of the reputation of the LORD your God, because we've heard a report about all that he did in Egypt, along with all of what he did to the two Amorite kings who were beyond the Jordan River that is, to King Sihon of Heshbon and to King Og of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth. So our leaders and all of the inhabitants of our country told us, "Take provisions along with you for your journey, go to meet them, and tell them, "We are your servants. Come now and make a treaty with us."' Look at our bread: it was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for our journey on the very day we set out to come to you. But now, look how it's dry and moldy. And these wineskins were new when we filled them, but look now they're cracked. And our clothes and sandals are worn out from our very long journey." So the leaders of Israel sampled their provisions, but did not ask the LORD about it. They made a treaty with them, guaranteeing their lives with a covenant, and the leaders of the congregation confirmed it with an oath to them. But three days after they had made the treaty with them, they learned that they were their neighbors and were living in their midst. So the Israelis set out for their cities and three days later they reached their cities of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. The Israelis did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had made an oath with them in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. Nevertheless, the entire congregation grumbled against their leaders. Then all of the leaders spoke to the entire congregation, "We have sworn to them in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them. So this is what we'll do to them: we'll let them live, so that wrath won't come upon us because of the oath that we swore to them." The leaders told them, "Let them live." So they became wood cutters and water carriers for the entire congregation, which is what the leaders had decided concerning them. Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and asked them, "Why did you deceive us by saying "We live far away from you,' even though you were, in fact, living in our midst?

Saul told his servants, "Find me a woman who is a medium so I can go to her and make my inquiry through her." His servants told him, "Look, there's a woman at Endor who is a medium." Saul disguised himself, putting on different clothes. He went along with two men to the woman at night. He said, "Consult a familiar spirit for me and bring up for me the one whom I tell you." The woman told him, "Look, you know what Saul has done. He has removed mediums and spiritists from the land, so why are you trying to entrap me, so as to cause my death?"read more.
Saul swore to her by the LORD: "As surely as the LORD lives, no punishment will come on you for this thing." The woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" Saul said, "Bring up Samuel for me." When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out loudly. The woman told Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!"

So the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah both attacked Ramoth-gilead. The king of Israel suggested to Jehoshaphat, "I'll go into battle in disguise, but you keep your royal uniform on." So the king of Israel disguised himself and they both went into the battle. Meanwhile, the king of Aram had issued these orders to 32 of his chariot commanders: "Don't attack unimportant soldiers or ranking officers. Go after only the king of Israel."read more.
So when the chariot commanders observed Jehoshaphat, they said by mistake, "It's the king of Israel!" and they turned aside to attack him. But Jehoshaphat cried out.

So the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah both attacked Ramoth-gilead. The king of Israel suggested to Jehoshaphat, "I'll go into battle in disguise, but you keep your royal uniform on." So the king of Israel disguised himself and they both went into the battle. Meanwhile, the king of Aram had issued these orders to his chariot commanders: "Don't attack unimportant soldiers or ranking officers. Go after only the king of Israel." read more.
So when the chariot commanders observed Jehoshaphat, they said by mistake, "It's the king of Israel!" and they turned aside to attack him. But Jehoshaphat cried out to the LORD, who helped him, and God diverted them from him. When the chariot commanders saw that their target was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him.

David got up that day and fled from Saul, and he went to King Achish of Gath. The officials of Achish told him, "Isn't this David, king of the land? Isn't this the one about whom they sang as they danced, "Saul has struck down his thousands, but David his ten thousands'?" David took these words seriously, and he was very frightened of King Achish of Gath. read more.
So David changed his behavior before them and acted like he was crazy in their presence. He scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva run down his beard.

Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him so they could kill him in the morning. David's wife, Michal, told him, "If you don't escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you'll be put to death." So Michal let David down through the window, and he escaped and fled. Then Michal took the household idol and laid it on the bed with a cover of goat hair placed at its head. Then she covered it with clothes.read more.
When Saul sent the messengers to take David, Michal said, "He's sick." Then Saul sent messengers to check on David. He told them, "Bring him to me on the bed so I may kill him." The messengers went in, and there was the household idol in the bed with the cover of goat hair at its head! Then Saul told Michal, "Why did you deceive me like this and let my enemy go so he could escape?" Michal told Saul, "He told me, "Let me go or I'll kill you!'"

I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise will be in my mouth continuously.

Fearing that we might run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and began praying for daylight to come. Meanwhile, the sailors had begun trying to escape from the ship. They lowered the lifeboat into the sea and pretended that they were going to lay out the anchors from the bow.

It's better to be unimportant, yet have a servant, than to pretend to be important, but lack food.

Some time after all of this, after Josiah had finished preparing the Temple, King Neco of Egypt invaded Carchemish on the Euphrates River, and Josiah went out to fight him. But he sent messengers to him, who asked him, "What do we have in common, King of Judah? I am not here today opposing you. I am fighting the dynasty that is fighting me, and God has ordered me to hurry. For your own good, stop interfering with God, who is with me, and he won't destroy you!" But Josiah wouldn't turn around. In fact, he put on a disguise so he could fight Neco. He wouldn't listen to what God told him through what Neco had to say, and as a result, Josiah came to attack Neco on the Megiddo plain.

So whenever you give to the poor, don't blow a trumpet before you like the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they will be praised by people. I tell all of you with certainty, they have their full reward!

"How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead people's bones and every kind of impurity. In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Jesus answered them, "See to it that no one deceives you, because many will come in my name and say, "I'm the Messiah,' and they will deceive many people.

Jesus began to say to them, "See to it that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name and say, "I AM,' and they will deceive many people.

He said, "Be careful that you are not deceived, because many will come in my name and say, "I AM' and, "The time has come.' Don't follow them.

Yet in all this her treacherous sister Judah didn't return to me with her whole heart, but rather deceptively," declares the LORD.

You hypocrites! How well did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

He told them, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites. As it is written, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

Then the Lord said: "Because these people draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, worship of me has become merely like rules taught by human beings.

Later, he found another man and told him, "Please strike me!" So the man struck him and wounded him. Then the prophet left and waited for the king to pass by, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes. As the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and told him, "Your servant went out into the middle of the battle, and a soldier turned aside, brought a prisoner to me, and told me, "Guard this man. If he turns up missing for any reason at all, you'll pay for it with your life or be fined one talent of silver.' read more.
While your servant was busy here and there, the prisoner escaped." The king told him, "By your actions you've earned the proper judgment!" Then the prophet quickly tore off his bandage, and the king of Israel recognized him as being one of the prophets. He told the king, "This is what the LORD says: "Because you let the man whom I had dedicated to destruction go free, therefore your life is to be forfeited for his life, and your people for his people.'" After hearing this, the king of Israel rode back to his palace in Samaria, frustrated and in a foul mood.

Therefore, rid yourselves of every kind of evil and deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, and every kind of slander.

Remove false paths from me; and graciously give me your instruction.

Meanwhile, the people had gathered by the thousands and were trampling on one another. Jesus began to speak first to his disciples. "Watch out for the yeast that is, the hypocrisy of the Pharisees!

This is, in fact, what you were called to do, because: The Messiah also suffered for you and left an example for you to follow in his steps. "He never sinned, and he never told a lie."

Then they made his grave with the wicked, and with rich people in his death, although he had committed no violence, nor was there any deceit in his mouth."

and every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive in order to obey the Messiah.