2913 verses about Truth

I have read the epistle which you⌃ have sent to me: therefore I commanded to make search, and it has been found that that city of old time has made insurrection against kings;

Let every one of us say one thing which shall be strongest: and he whose sentence shall seem wiser than the others, to him shall Darius the king give great gifts, and great honors in token of victory:

And then they wrote every one his sentence, and set to their seals, and laid the writing under king Darius his pillow,

and said, When the king is risen, some shall give him the writing; and of whose side the king and the three princes of Persia shall judge that his sentence is the wisest, to him shall the victory be given, as it is written.

The second wrote, The king is strongest.

The third wrote, Women are strongest: but above all things Truth bears away the victory.

Now when the king was risen up, they took the writing, and gave it to him, and so he read it:

And he said, Call the young men, and they shall explain their own sentences. So they were called, and came in.

O sirs, how should not the king be strongest, seeing that in such sort he is obeyed? And he held his peace.

Then the third, who had spoken of women, and of truth, (this was Zorobabel) began to speak.

Then the king and the nobles looked one upon another: so he began to speak concerning truth.

Is he not great that makes these things? therefore great is truth, and stronger than all things.

All the earth calls upon truth, and the heaven blesses her: all works shake and tremble, but with her is no unrighteous thing.

Wine is unrighteous, the king is unrighteous, women are unrighteous, all the children of men are unrighteous, and unrighteous are all such their works; and there is no truth in them; in their unrighteousness also they shall perish.

But truth remains, and is strong forever; she lives and conquers forevermore.

With her there is no accepting of persons or rewards; but she does the things that are just, and refrains from all unrighteous and wicked things; and all men do well like of her works.

Neither in her judgment is any unrighteousness; and she is the strength, and the kingdom, and the power, and the majesty, of all ages. Blessed be the God of truth.

And with that he held his tongue. And all the people then shouted, and said, Great is truth, and strong above all things.

Then said the king to him, Ask what you will more than is appointed in writing, and we will give it you, inasmuch as you are found wisest; and you shall sit next me, and shall be called my cousin.

who spoke wise sentences before Darius the king of Persia in the second year of his reign, in the month Nisan, which is the first month.

The copy of the letter which Sisinnes, governor of Syria and Phoenicia, and Sathrabuzanes, with their companions, the rulers in Syria and Phoenicia, wrote and sent to Darius;

To king Darius, greeting: Let all things be known to our lord the king, that being come into the country of Judea, and entered into the city of Jerusalem, we found in the city of Jerusalem the elders of the Jews that were of the captivity

Then asked we these elders, saying, By whose commandment build you⌃ this house, and lay the foundations of these works?

Therefore, to the intent that we might give knowledge to you by writing who were the chief doers, we questioned them, and we required of them the names in writing of their principal men.

Now therefore, if it seem good, O king, let search be made among the royal archives of our lord the king that are in Babylon:

and if it be found that the building of the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem has been done with the consent of king Cyrus, and it seem good to our lord the king, let him signify to us thereof.

that they may look to the affairs of Judea and Jerusalem, agreeably to that which is in the law of the Lord,

And you, Esdras, according to the wisdom of God ordain judges and justices, that they may judge in all Syria and Phoenicia all those that know the law of your God; and those that know it not you shall teach.

O Lord of Israel, you are true: for we are left a root this day.

Verily you are faithful and true.

have rejected the inestimable rights. Not only so, but by using speech, and by refraining from speech, they abhor the few among them who are heartily disposed towards us; ever deeming that their ignoble course of procedure will force us to do away with our reform.

The king was filled with great and constant joy, and celebrated banquets before the temple idols. His erring heart, far from the truth, and his profane mouth, gave glory to idols, deaf and incapable of speaking or aiding, and uttered unworthy speech against the Greatest God.

The king threatened them, and charged them with taking bribes, in order to contrive the escape of the Jews: but was clearly convinced of the truth of what had been said.

and taking into consideration their constancy and fidelity towards us and towards our ancestors, we have, as we ought, acquitted them of every sort of charge.

The king admitted the truth of this reasoning, and commended them. Full power was given them, without warrant or special commission, to destroy those who had transgressed the law of God boldly in every part of the king’s dominions.

Go your way, and show my people their sinful deeds, and their children their wickedness which they have done against me; that they may tell their children’s children:

Then the angel said to me, Go your way, and tell my people what manner of things, and how great wonders of the Lord God you have seen.

how then can your vessel comprehend the way of the Most High? and how can he that is already worn out with the corrupted world understand incorruption?

Then answered he me, and said, You have given a right judgement, and why judge you not in your own case?

He answered me, and said, As for the tokens whereof you asked me, I may tell you of them in part: but as touching your life, I am not sent to show you; for I do not know it.

Nevertheless as concerning the tokens, behold, the days shall come, that they which dwell upon earth shall be taken with great amazement, and the way of truth shall be hidden, and the land shall be barren of faith.

For evil shall be blotted out, and deceit shall be quenched;

and faith shall flourish, and corruption shall be overcome, and the truth, which has been so long without fruit, shall be declared.

And he said to me, These things came I to show you this night.

but judgement only shall remain, truth shall stand, and faith shall wax strong:

This is my judgement and the ordinance thereof; but to you only have I showed these things.

And he said to me, Not only this, but ask the earth, and she shall tell you; entreat her, and she shall declare to you.

Wherefore this is the teaching concerning them:

And he answered me, and said, Since you have found favor in my sight, I will show you this also: The day of judgement is a day of decision, and displays to all the seal of truth; even as now a father sends not his son, or a son his father, or a master his slave, or a friend him that is most dear, that in his stead he may be sick, or sleep, or eat, or be healed:

intemperance is at an end, infidelity is cut off, but righteousness is grown, and truth is sprung up.

Nevertheless they believed not him, nor yet the prophets after him, no, nor me which have spoken to them;

whose look dries up the depths, and whose indignation makes the mountains to melt away, and whose truth bears witness:

O look not upon the sins of your people; but on those who have served you in truth,

Then answered he me, and said, Some things have you spoken aright, and according to your words so shall it come to pass.

Like therefore as I have spoken, so shall it be.

which I have not showed to all men, but to you, and a few like you. Then answered I and said,

Notwithstanding the law perishes not, but remains in its honor.

And I said, Because you have forsaken me: yet I did according to your words, and went into the field, and, behold, I have seen, and yet see, that which I am not able to express.

Or is my sense deceived, or my soul in a dream?

And you have judged the earth, but not with truth.

For you have afflicted the meek, you have hurt the peaceful, you have hated those who speak truth, you have loved liars, and destroyed the dwellings of those who brought forth fruit, and cast down the walls of such as did you no harm.

Behold, this have you done to me, in that you search out the ways of the Most High.

But it was not expounded to him, as I now expound it to you or have expounded it.

And the lion, whom you saw rising up out of the wood, and roaring, and speaking to the eagle, and rebuking her for her unrighteousness, and all her words which you have heard;

and you only have been meet to know the secret of the Most High.

Therefore write all these things that you have seen in a book, and put them in a secret place:

For of all the prophets you only are left us, as a cluster of the vintage, and as a lamp in a dark place, and as a haven for a ship saved from the tempest.

The interpretation of the vision shall I tell you, and I will also open to you the things whereof you have made mention.

And he said to me, like as one can neither seek out nor know what is in the deep of the sea, even so can no man upon earth see my Son, or those that be with him, but in the time of his day.

For you have forsaken your own ways, and applied your diligence to mine, and have sought out my law.

These words shall you publish openly, and these shall you hide.

For the truth shall withdraw itself further off, and leasing be hard at hand: for now hastens the eagle to come, which you saw in vision.

For your law is burned, therefore no man knows the things that are done of you, or the works that shall be done.

and my mouth was opened, and shut no more.

And it came to pass, when the forty days were fulfilled, that the Most High spoke to me, saying, The first that you have written publish openly, and let the worthy and unworthy read it:

but keep the seventy last, that you may deliver them to such as be wise among your people:

for in them is the spring of understanding, the fountain of wisdom, and the stream of knowledge.

and cause you them to be written in paper: for they are faithful and true.

Behold, the word of the Lord, receive it: disbelieve not the things whereof the Lord speaks.

Just as a right honest and virtuous woman hates a harlot,

so shall righteousness hate iniquity, when she decketh herself, and shall accuse her to her face, when he comes that shall defend him that diligently searcheth out every sin upon earth.

Let not the sinner say that he has not sinned: for he shall burn coals of fire upon his head, which says, I have not sinned before God and his glory.

yes, the spirit of God Almighty. He who made all things, and searcheth out hidden things in hidden places,

surely he knows your imagination, and what you⌃ think in your hearts. Woe to those who sin, and would fain hide their sin!

Reasoning is, then, intellect accompanied by a life of rectitude, putting foremost the consideration of wisdom.

And wisdom is a knowledge of divine and human things, and of their causes.

For he said that he had sinned, so as to be consequently worthy of death; and that if he were saved, he would celebrate to all men the blessedness of the holy place.

And when many had been seized, a foremost man of the assembly, a Hebrew, by name Eleazar, a priest by family, by profession a lawyer, and advanced in years, and for this reason known to many of the king’s followers, was brought near to him.

I would counsel you, old man, before your tortures begin, to taste the swine’s flesh, and save your life; for I feel respect for your age and hoary head, which since you have had so long, you appear to me to be no philosopher in retaining the superstition of the Jews.

And you will be acting, I think, still more senselessly, if you follow vain conceits about the truth.

Will you not awake from your trifling philosophy? and give up the folly of your notions; and, regaining understanding worthy of your age, search into the truth of an expedient course?

We, O Antiochus, who are persuaded that we live under a divine law, consider no compulsion to be so forcible as obedience to that law;

wherefore we consider that we ought not in any point to transgress the law.

And indeed, were our law (as you suppose) not truly divine, and if we wrongly think it divine, we should have no right even in that case to destroy our sense of religion.

But you deride our philosophy, as though we lived irrationally in it.

nor will I transgress the sacred oaths of my forefathers to keep the law.

I am not so old, and void of manliness, but that my rational powers are youthful in defence of my religion.

I will not belie you, O law, my instructor! or forsake you, O beloved self-control!

I will not put you to shame, O philosopher Reason; or deny you, O honored priesthood, and science of the law.

For over the ungodly you shall tyrannize; but you shall not lord it over my thoughts about religion, either by your arguments, or through deeds.