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Do not slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you, and you will bear the guilt.
Proverbs 30:10 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB “Don’t slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.
  • KJV Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.
  • NKJV Do not malign a servant to his master, Lest he curse you, and you be found guilty.
  • NASB ¶Do not slander a slave to his master, Or he will curse you and you will be found guilty.
  • NLT Never slander a worker to the employer, or the person will curse you, and you will pay for it.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you and you bear guilt.

Overview

This proverb warns against malicious or careless accusations that harm the vulnerable, here a servant who lacks power to defend himself. False or harmful speech recoils on the speaker, who incurs real guilt before God. It calls for truthful, protective speech toward the lowly, reflecting God's own care for the defenseless.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 17

  • Rom 14:4Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
  • Eccl 7:21Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.
  • Dan 6:24At the command of the king, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the den of lions—they and their children and wives. And before they had reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
  • Prov 24:23–24These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
  • Dan 6:13Then they told the king, “Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, shows no regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed. He still makes his petition three times a day.”
  • 2 Sam 19:26–27“My lord the king,” he replied, “because I am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled so that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ But my servant Ziba deceived me,
  • Dan 3:8–18At this time some astrologers came forward and maliciously accused the Jews,
  • 2 Chr 24:22–24Thus King Joash failed to remember the kindness that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had extended to him. Instead, Joash killed Jehoiada’s son. As he lay dying, Zechariah said, “May the LORD see this and call you to account.”
  • 1 Sam 22:9–10But Doeg the Edomite, who had stationed himself with Saul’s servants, answered: “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob.
  • Deut 23:15Do not return a slave to his master if he has taken refuge with you.
  • 2 Sam 16:1–4When David had gone a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth was there to meet him. He had a pair of saddled donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine.
  • Prov 11:26The people will curse the hoarder of grain, but blessing will crown the one who sells it.
  • 1 Sam 26:19Now please, may my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the LORD has stirred you up against me, then may He accept an offering. But if men have done it, may they be cursed in the presence of the LORD! For today they have driven me away from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’
  • 1 Sam 30:15“Will you lead me to these raiders?” David asked. And the man replied, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hand of my master, and I will lead you to them.”
  • 1 Sam 24:9and said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Look, David intends to harm you’?
  • Deut 15:9Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
  • Prov 28:27Whoever gives to the poor will not be in need, but he who hides his eyes will receive many curses.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Proverbs videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Proverbs 30:10YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ProverbsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.

How Proverbs 30:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.