Scripture condemns the practice of accepting or offering bribes, recognizing it as a corrupting influence that undermines justice and morality. In Exodus, the people are warned against accepting bribes, which can lead to the perversion of justice. The book of Proverbs repeatedly denounces bribery, noting that it can bring ruin to those who engage in it and that a bribe can be a stone that weighs heavily on the one who receives it. The wisdom literature, including Ecclesiastes, also cautions against the destructive power of bribery, highlighting its ability to distort relationships and destroy integrity.
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Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.
He who is greedy for unjust gain brings trouble on his household, but he who hates bribes will live.
Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
For I know that your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous. You oppress the righteous by taking bribes; you deprive the poor of justice in the gate.
Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.
Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before them.
Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.
For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery.
For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
And after the chief priests had met with the elders and formed a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money and instructed them: “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ If this report reaches the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the guards took the money and did as they were instructed. And this account has been circulated among the Jews to this very day.
But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice.