King James Version (KJV)
Isaiah 8:20
“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”
King James Version (KJV)
Isaiah 8:20 Context
17And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. 18Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion. 19And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? 20To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. 21And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward. 22And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.
«To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.» Isaiah 8:20 KJV
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Translation Details for Isaiah 8:20
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
Other Translations for Isaiah 8:20
To the Law and to the Testimonie: if they speake not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
— King James Version (1611) — View 1611 Bible Scan
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.
— New American Standard Version (1995)
To the law and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them.
— American Standard Version (1901)
Then say to them, Put your faith in the teaching and the witness. … If they do not say such things. … For him there is no dawn. …
— Basic English Bible
To the law and the testimony! If they speak not according to this word, for them there is no daybreak.
— Darby Bible
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
— Webster’s Bible
Turn to the law and to the testimony! If they don’t speak according to this word, surely there is no morning for them.
— World English Bible
To the law and to the testimony! If not, let them say after this manner, `That there is no dawn to it.’
— Youngs Literal Bible
for instruction and for testimony?’ —Surely they will speak according to this word, wherein there is no light.—
— Jewish Publication Society Bible
Bible Commentary for Isaiah 8:20
Wesley’s Notes for Isaiah 8:20
8:20 To the law — Let this dispute between you and them be determined by God’s word, which is here and in many other places called the law, to signify their obligation to believe and obey it; and the testimony, because it is a witness between God and man, of God’s will, and of man’s duty. They — Your antagonists. No light — This proceeds from the darkness of their minds, they are blind, and cannot see.
The notion that Scripture can serve as judge in theological controversies is sometimes subject to soft (or not) ridicule and scorn. Aren’t words, once they are uttered–whether into the air or onto paper–inert, mute, infinitely malleable? How could they possibly adjudicate anything?
The question is one that can be put to human communication in general: do the criticisms gestured towards above apply after the fact to anything men say? I think that they don’t; but let us leave that aside. The question is much more acute when applied to Scripture as God’s instrument of self-revelation and self-communication, by which, in which, and with which the Holy Spirit speaks.
But let us, for the time being, leave aside abstract and theoretical discussion of the latter question as well. The most significant obstacle to the contemptores mentioned in my first paragraph is that they have to reckon with the rather embarrassing fact that Jesus himself attributes much the same judicial potency to the Word uttered.
He does so in John 12.48: ὁ ἀθετῶν ἐμὲ καὶ μὴ λαμβάνων τὰ ῥήματά μου ἔχει τὸν κρίνοντα αὐτόν· ὁ λόγος ὃν ἐλάλησα ἐκεῖνος κρινεῖ αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ (“The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has one who judges him; the word that I have spoken, that [word] will judge him on the last day”).
What, ho! Jesus says that unbelievers have “one who judges” them. Surprisingly, the “one who judges” in this verse is not Jesus himself, but “the word that [he] has spoken.” There is, apparently, a potency in the uttered word itself to judge between man and man; it would therefore stand to reason that it can judge between doctrine and doctrine. For to say that this uttered word could judge a man so as to send him to eternal condemnation, but to deny that that same word has the capacity to judge between articulations of the faith, would be odd indeed.
How can this be so? Perhaps it is not quite correct to say that the potency lies in the written word itself; and this takes us to the last sentence of my second paragraph. That is, it is rather the case that we ought not to view the written word in abstraction from the God who speaks the word: the word uttered and recorded–that is, Scripture–represents what God wills to communicate to us, and thus it must be intimately connected to Jesus himself, as the one who reveals the Father. It does so, moreover, in such a way that we are held accountable for our response to it. Again, it would be odd indeed if God willed to communicate something to us that was de facto unintelligible to us. For it would be a rebuilding of the Tower of Babel: exceedingly strange for the God of Pentecost.
And so we must return again to the basic categories of clarity and sufficiency. The Word of the Lord is clear and sufficient such that men are held accountable–and that without excuse–before its absolutely righteous judgment. Calvin’s comments on John 12.48 are, as often, apt:
It is impossible to give a nobler or more magnificent title to the Gospel than to, ascribe to it the power of judging; for, according to these words, the last judgment shall be nothing else than an approbation or ratification of the doctrine of the Gospel. Christ himself will indeed ascend the tribunal, but he declares that he will pronounce the sentence according to the word which is now preached. This threatening ought to strike deep terror into the ungodly, since they cannot escape the judgment of that doctrine which they now so haughtily disdain.
How, then, are we to know the will of God and the doctrine of God? If we are to take Jesus’ words in John 12 seriously, the answer–indeed, the only answer–must be: “To the law and to the testimony!” For “if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”
The Word can serve as judge, then, because it is there that God speaks. It reveals, rather than obscures, what God wills for man to know. It does so in such a way that it separates truth from error, light from darkness, sheep from goats.
When one scans the religious landscape, particularly the segment of religious people who claim to be Christians, it does not take long to see a broad range of doctrines, beliefs, and practices. How is it that people that claim to follow Christ can believe and teach things that are not only different from each other, but completely contradictory to one another? The answer lies in how we use God’s divine standard.
The standard that God has given us is His word. It contains the truth (Psalm 119:160; John 17:17). His word is the standard that will judge us in the last day (John 12:48). Therefore, if we want to please the Lord, we must follow His word (John 14:15; Psalm 119:11).
“To the law and to the testimony!” (Isaiah 8:20). These words must be our attitude. Do the things we believe, teach, and practice harmonize with the word of God? When a question arises, our first response must be to consult God’s word.
- What type of music should be used in the assembly? “To the law and to the testimony!” We are told to be “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).
- When should we partake of the Lord’s Supper? “To the law and to the testimony!” “On the first day of the week” was when the disciples “gathered together to break bread” (Acts 20:7).
- What organization are Christians to work through to evangelize the lost and edify the saved? “To the law and to the testimony!” The local church is “the pillar and support of the church” (1 Timothy 3:15).
These are just a few examples. Many more could be added to the list.
In Isaiah’s day, as in ours, not everyone had this attitude of respect for God’s word. Notice the context surrounding the phase quoted above: “When they say to you, ‘Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn” (Isaiah 8:19-20).
God, through the prophet, spoke of those who looked to sources other than God’s word for instruction and guidance. He then asked, “Should not a people consult their God?” Why would we go anywhere else than the word God has given us? We do not need to consult the mediums or spiritists – or in our day, the creeds, opinions, and wisdom of men.
The Bible plainly teaches us certain things. We must believe, teach, and practice those things. We are to speak “as one who is speaking the utterances of God” (1 Peter 4:11). The things that we do “in word or deed” must be done “in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17). Are the things we do backed by God’s authority? The only way we can know is to go “to the law and to the testimony.” We can only know what pleases God based on what He has revealed to us (1 Corinthians 2:10-13), not what others have told us (Galatians 1:8) or what seems good to us (Proverbs 14:12).
The reason why there is so much diversity among professed Christians is because of the lack of importance placed upon doing all things based on the authority of Christ. People assume certain things are good works, rather than going to the Bible to prove them as such. They look to the churches around them, rather than the church discussed in the New Testament. They profess Jesus as Lord, but do not wholly submit to His authority (Matthew 28:18).
Why do many neglect the search for Bible authority, or fail to appeal to the authority of Christ as revealed in the word? Why do many not make the plea: “To the law and to the testimony”? The Lord answers this question: “If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn [there is no light in them, KJV]” (Isaiah 8:20). They do not “walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light” (1 John 1:7).
Really, this is how we distinguish a truth teacher from a false teacher – whether or not a direct appeal is made to Scripture for everything we say and do. John wrote, “We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error” (1 John 4:6). Those who teach and practice the things revealed in God’s word by His inspired men are of the truth. Those who teach and practice things contrary to what has been revealed are in error.
As we examine ourselves, and as we teach others, we must make this plea that was articulated under the Old Law, and reiterated in the New. “To the law and to the testimony!” “What does the Scripture say” (Romans 4:3; Galatians 4:30)? Do not appeal to the creeds and traditions of men. We need to have book, chapter, and verse!
This article is one of the fifty articles included in the book Plain Bible Teaching: The First Ten Years. Click on the link to read more about the book.
When Isaiah 8:20 says to the Law and to the Testimony, if they speak not according to this, there is no light in them.
It is referring to both The Law of Moses and The two tables of Testimony. Take note of the true meaning of this verse taking your belief to the Law and to the Testimony is IMPORTANT. You must go by both the Testimony (10 commandments) and the law of Moses!
The Testimony
To the Law and to the Testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Isaiah 8:20
And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. Exodus 31:18
And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. Exodus 32:15
Exodus 34:29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.
Exodus 40:20 And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark:
THE LAW:
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.”Exodus 24:12
In Exodus 24 you see that Yah Gave a law and commandments, so when we take it to the law…. we are taking it to the law he gave Moses. These laws guard the ten commandments that Yah wrote on two tables of testimony.
“And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel. So they read in the book of the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. And they found written in the law which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month:” Nehemiah 8:1, 8, 14.
We see above in Nehemiah 8 that the book of the Law of Yah (God) is The book of the law of Moses….commanded by YAH, written by Moses. This very word proceedeth out of the mouth of Yah….”Man does not live by bread alone, but by EVERY WORD, that proceedeth out of the mouth of YAH.” The Law was commanded. The book of the law are commandments.
Deuteronomy 4:44 And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel:
Deut.29:21 And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law:
Deut.30:10 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.
Deut.31:26 Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
Deut.33:21 And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel.
Josh.1:7,8 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Josh.8:31,32,34 As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings. And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel. And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in thebook of the law.
Josh.22:5 But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Josh.23:26 Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in thebook of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;
so Isaiah 8 : 20 says :To the Law (law of Moses) and to the Testimony (the two tablets) if they speak not according to this, there is no light in them.
Yah changes NOT:
“For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Malachi 3:6
Malachi 4:4-6
4] Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
[5] Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
[6] And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Here is what the Catholic Cardinal said, to clarify:” The new law has its own spirit …and its own feasts which have taken the place of those appointed in the law of Moses. If we would know the days to be observed, we must go to the Catholic church, not to the Mosaic Law.” Cardinal Gibbons states in the Catholic Catechism.
So lets dig deep into that statement- the Catholic church has a new law, its own spirit, its own feast days which have taken place of those in the law of Moses.
The Bible says: Daniel 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Now lets look at what the Catholic Bible says : “He shall speak against the Most High and oppress the holy ones of the Most High, thinking to change the feast days and the law.
The New American Bible (Catholic)
Here by stating this they admit they think to change the feast days and the Law of Moses. Their system says they do not keep the feast system in the Law of Moses.
Nahum 1:15 — “Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that PUBLISHETH peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the WICKED shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly CUT OFF.”
What does sister White say:
In consequence of continual transgression, the moral law was repeated in awful grandeur from Sinai. Yasha gave to Moses religious precepts which were to govern the everyday life. These statutes were explicitly given to guard the ten commandments. They were not shadowy types to pass away with the death of Messiah. They were to be binding upon man in every age as long as time should last. These commands were enforced by the power of the moral law, and they clearly and definitely explained that law. {RH May 6, 1875, par. 10}
Christians who profess to be Bible students can appreciate more fully than ancient Israel did the full signification of the ceremonial ordinances that they were required to observe. If they are indeed Christians, they are prepared to acknowledge the sacredness and importance of the shadowy types, as they see the accomplishment of the events which they represent. The death of Messiah gives the Christian a correct knowledge of the system of ceremonies and explains prophecies which still remain obscure to the Jews. Moses of himself framed no law. Messiah, the angel whoYah had appointed to go before his chosen people, gave to Moses statutes and requirements necessary to a living religion and to govern the people of Yah. Christians commit a terrible mistake in calling this law severe and arbitrary, and then contrasting it with the gospel and mission of Christ in his ministry on earth, as though he were in opposition to the just precepts which they call the law of Moses. {RH May 6, 1875, par. 12}
“They (Christians) cast aside the restraint of the law, and give loose rein to the corrupt passions and the promptings of the natural heart, and then triumph in the mercy and grace of the gospel. Christ speaks to such: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven.” What is the will of the Father? That we keep his commandments. Messiah, to enforce the will of his Father, became the author of the statutes and precepts given through Moses to the people of YAH. Christians who extol Messiah, but array themselves against the law governing the Jewish church, array Yasha the messiah against Yasha. {RH May 6, 1875, par. 16}
“The death of Messiah elevates the Jewish system of types and ordinances, showing that they were of divine appointment, and for the purpose of keeping faith alive in the hearts of his people.” {RH May 6, 1875, par. 17}
“You know that precious light has shone forth in connection with the law of God, as the righteousness of Christ has been presented with that law. Dr. Waggoner has opened to you precious light, not new, but old light which has been lost sight of by many minds, and is now shining forth in clear rays” (The 1888 EGW Materials, 174). “And for the first time I began to think it might be we did not hold correct views after all upon the law in Galatians, for the truth required no such spirit to sustain it.” {1888 Materials bk.1 p.221}
“From the light which God has given me it would be for our advantage to study the directions given to Israel (read Malachi 4). Verse 4 especially has a meaning which all have not comprehended. Let it be carefully considered.” {PH087 8.2}-E. G. White: Pamphlets -PH087 -Special Testimony to Battle Creek Church (1897).
“The closing words of Malachi are a prophecy regarding the work that should be done preparatory to the first and the second advent of Christ. This prophecy is introduced with the admonition, “Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.” {SW, March 21, 1905 par. 1}-E. G. White: PERIODICALS / SW -The Southern Watchman -March 21, 1905 “In The Spirit and Power of Elias.)
Mal 4:4 “Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.”
Think again brothers and sisters…. the feast days, appointed times to meet with our Father were not passed away. Only the sacrifices and oblations were to cease. The appointments (feast days) were not to pass away: Not the days of worship, not the Law of Moses (words spoken out of the mouth of Yah and put into a book for his children, not The 10 commandments (Tablets of Testimony) they are forever our days to meet with our Father.
The word says: And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, Dan. 9:27 This shows only the sacrifices and oblations were to cease, not the law of Moses and the feast days.
I will end with this:
We know that the 144,000 sing the song of Moses and the Lamb. Well what is the song of Moses? You will see here in the following scripture that the “song” is written by Moses.
“And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beast, and the elders: and not man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.” Rev 14:3
Lets look at what Moses says in the time of the first Exodus and we are at the time of our Exodus in our day… the latter day. (See Is. 11:11)
[1] Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:
[2] That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. Deut 6:1,2
If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. Deut 30:10
Look at Deut 31:
9: and Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord; and unto all the elders of Israel.
19: Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel. Deut 31:19
21: And it shall come to pass, when may evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before have brought them into the land which I sware.
22: Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.
verse 24: And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying.
26: Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
29: For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aide from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
30 : And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.
Here we see that the law which we are to keep : the statutes and judgements and commandments are not to pass away…. that even in the Latter days we are to keep.
Do we not know that the 144,000 sing the song of Moses? If we refuse to do this…. keep his statutes, judgements, commandments and all His sayings…. we are refusing to sing the song of Moses and are cutting ourselves off.
These laws and times were “changed” by this power…. then what is the true way to salvation. No wonder Daniel fainted at the prophecy of the “daily” being taken away and the times and laws being changed. He was distraught at the thought that there would not be a way to be saved. How will the children of Israel,(you are the descendents of Israel — the children) those living in the days of this power, be saved?
“And I Daniel fainted and was sick certain days….. Dan. 8:27
But it was to be restored :
And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. Daniel 8:14
“restored to its rightful state” Daniel 8:14 RSV
” the power symbolized by the Little Horn desolates the sanctuary and halts its regular ritual services,… The additional information is given that “the abomination that maketh desolate” is substituted for the “daily”. Since the “daily” designates the divinely ordained system of worship, the power that removes it stands in opposition to Elohim (God), and the abomination that maketh desolate” represents a counterfeit system of worship.” SDA Bible Dictionary Vol 8 p. 242
In 1844 October 22 our SDA church was started on a feast day. And it was to begin the restoration of all divine institutions and we started keeping the Sabbath: also a feast day as stated in the Law of Moses. We were to start uncovering all gems. This is a GEM!
And Now in the latter days where Malachi says: Remember the Law of Moses. “Remember the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded u him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and the judgements. The FEAST days, people of Yah, are statutes forever!!! And Ellen G. White says:
From the light which God has given me it would be for our advantage to study the directions given to Israel (read Malachi 4). Verse 4 especially has a meaning which all have not comprehended. Let it be carefully considered.” {PH087 8.2}-E. G. White: Pamphlets -PH087 -Special Testimony to Battle Creek Church (1897). “The closing words of Malachi are a prophecy regarding the work that should be done preparatory to the first and the second advent of Christ. This prophecy is introduced with the admonition, “Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
We now see : To the Law and the Testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. This means you must take all points of doctrine to the law and to the testimony. If someone decides to say we are to do the washsing of the feet and partaking of the bread and wine and they say you should do it every day, every week or four times a year…. what should you do? Take it to the Law and the Testimony. Well we know from the Leviticus that the Passover was once a year, and from the New Testament that Yasha kept this washing at the Passover, because he followed the law. Then we now know to do the Yasha’s supper at the time of the Passover, ONCE a Year! Wow! Blessings and Light to you. Have you been without the law?
Take all beliefs to the Law of Moses and to the Testimony and you will have LIGHT! Extra oil for you lamps. That you may be the Wise Virgins!!
Luke 8:39
ESV / 558 helpful votes
“Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.
2 Timothy 1:8
ESV / 504 helpful votes
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,
Revelation 12:11
ESV / 380 helpful votes
And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
Psalm 66:16
ESV / 363 helpful votes
Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
Psalm 71:15-18
ESV / 359 helpful votes
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone. O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.
Matthew 10:32
ESV / 309 helpful votes
So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,
1 Peter 3:15
ESV / 235 helpful votes
But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
Psalm 119:46
ESV / 223 helpful votes
I will also speak of your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame,
1 John 5:11
ESV / 212 helpful votes
And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1 John 1:1-4
ESV / 196 helpful votes
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
Titus 3:3-7
ESV / 165 helpful votes
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Matthew 5:16
ESV / 151 helpful votes
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
2 Timothy 1:8-9
ESV / 118 helpful votes
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
Hebrews 2:12
ESV / 113 helpful votes
Saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”
Mark 5:19
ESV / 105 helpful votes
And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
Psalm 107:1-2
ESV / 93 helpful votes
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble
John 15:27
ESV / 92 helpful votes
And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
Psalm 35:28
ESV / 85 helpful votes
Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.
1 John 5:10
ESV / 83 helpful votes
Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.
Psalm 22:22
ESV / 78 helpful votes
I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
Hebrews 4:12
ESV / 76 helpful votes
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Luke 12:8
ESV / 74 helpful votes
“And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God,
Acts 1:8
ESV / 68 helpful votes
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Revelation 6:9
ESV / 63 helpful votes
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.
2 Timothy 1:12
ESV / 63 helpful votes
Which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.
Jeremiah 51:10
ESV / 59 helpful votes
The Lord has brought about our vindication; come, let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God.
Psalm 19:7
ESV / 57 helpful votes
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
Revelation 1:2
ESV / 56 helpful votes
Who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
Revelation 19:10
ESV / 55 helpful votes
Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Psalm 26:7
ESV / 54 helpful votes
Proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds.
Isaiah 43:10
ESV / 53 helpful votes
“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.
2 Timothy 1:8-12
ESV / 50 helpful votes
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.
Psalm 71:24
ESV / 50 helpful votes
And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt.
1 Corinthians 1:6
ESV / 48 helpful votes
Even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—
Luke 24:48
ESV / 46 helpful votes
You are witnesses of these things.
Matthew 24:14
ESV / 46 helpful votes
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
1 Timothy 6:12
ESV / 42 helpful votes
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
John 5:31
ESV / 42 helpful votes
If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.
John 3:16
ESV / 42 helpful votes
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Psalm 40:3
ESV / 38 helpful votes
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
Revelation 20:4
ESV / 37 helpful votes
Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
1 John 1:2-3
ESV / 37 helpful votes
The life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:27-30
ESV / 36 helpful votes
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
John 15:26
ESV / 36 helpful votes
“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
Psalm 145:11
ESV / 36 helpful votes
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power,
Psalm 18:49
ESV / 35 helpful votes
For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing to your name.
Psalm 40:9-10
ESV / 34 helpful votes
I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord. I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
Proverbs 22:1
ESV / 33 helpful votes
A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.
Psalm 119:27
ESV / 33 helpful votes
Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
Psalm 119:71
ESV / 32 helpful votes
It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.
Revelation 12:17
ESV / 31 helpful votes
Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
ESV / 31 helpful votes
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Isaiah 12:4-6
ESV / 30 helpful votes
And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
Isaiah 8:20
ESV / 29 helpful votes
To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.
2 Timothy 3:16
ESV / 28 helpful votes
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
Philippians 3:7-14
ESV / 28 helpful votes
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. …
Psalm 145:4-7
ESV / 28 helpful votes
One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
Psalm 16:5-9
ESV / 28 helpful votes
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.
Luke 12:9
ESV / 27 helpful votes
But the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
Matthew 10:18
ESV / 27 helpful votes
And you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.
Exodus 26:34
ESV / 27 helpful votes
You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place.
1 Timothy 6:13
ESV / 26 helpful votes
I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession,
2 Peter 1:16
ESV / 25 helpful votes
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
John 9:30-33
ESV / 25 helpful votes
The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
Revelation 1:9
ESV / 23 helpful votes
I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
1 John 5:8
ESV / 23 helpful votes
The Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.
1 John 5:1-21
ESV / 23 helpful votes
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? …
1 John 1:1
ESV / 23 helpful votes
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—
Acts 17:10-11
ESV / 23 helpful votes
The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Exodus 40:20
ESV / 23 helpful votes
He took the testimony and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark and set the mercy seat above on the ark.
Exodus 38:21
ESV / 23 helpful votes
These are the records of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were recorded at the commandment of Moses, the responsibility of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
Exodus 30:6
ESV / 23 helpful votes
And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you.
2 Corinthians 4:13
ESV / 22 helpful votes
Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak,
Exodus 40:5
ESV / 22 helpful votes
And you shall put the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the screen for the door of the tabernacle.
Hebrews 12:1
ESV / 21 helpful votes
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
Daniel 12:3
ESV / 21 helpful votes
And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
Psalm 34:8
ESV / 21 helpful votes
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
1 John 5:6
ESV / 20 helpful votes
This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
2 Corinthians 3:2
ESV / 20 helpful votes
You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all.
John 5:15
ESV / 20 helpful votes
The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.
John 4:28-30
ESV / 20 helpful votes
So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” They went out of the town and were coming to him.
Psalm 145:12
ESV / 20 helpful votes
To make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Exodus 25:21
ESV / 20 helpful votes
And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you.
1 Corinthians 13:1
ESV / 19 helpful votes
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
John 21:24
ESV / 19 helpful votes
This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.
Deuteronomy 6:5
ESV / 19 helpful votes
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
1 Corinthians 10:31
ESV / 18 helpful votes
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Luke 8:16
ESV / 18 helpful votes
“No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
Mark 4:21
ESV / 18 helpful votes
And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?
Matthew 5:15
ESV / 18 helpful votes
Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
Isaiah 8:16
ESV / 18 helpful votes
Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples.
Exodus 25:22
ESV / 18 helpful votes
There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.
Acts 4:20
ESV / 17 helpful votes
For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
Acts 4:18-20
ESV / 17 helpful votes
So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
Acts 2:4-11
ESV / 17 helpful votes
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? …
John 4:42
ESV / 17 helpful votes
They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”
Psalm 119:13
ESV / 17 helpful votes
With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth.
Deuteronomy 19:15
ESV / 17 helpful votes
“A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.
Acts 5:32
ESV / 15 helpful votes
And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
Romans 1:16
ESV / 14 helpful votes
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.