Bribery is the evil practice of conferring favour upon someone in order to acquire more wealth, money or benefit in an unjust way. This practice is against what is just, right and true in society. The holy Bible severely condemns this evil practice of giving and taking bribes in any form. The Bible is clear that giving and receiving bribes is evil. And there are not less than thirty verses in the Old and the New Testaments teaching against this.
One such Biblical verse is Exodus 23:8, in which God asks the people not to resort to bribery saying, “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.” God gives top value to fairness and justice. So, this command about justice is repeated in Deuteronomy 16:19: “What are they words of the righteous? They are for justice, virtues, peace and harmony among people.”
God commanded Moses to appoint leaders for the community who hate dishonest gain. He said, “...But select capable men from all the people who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens” (Deuteronomy 18:21). Deuteronomy 27:25 says: “Cursed is the man who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.”
Job says: “For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes” (15:34); “Be careful that no one entices you by riches; do not let a large bribe turn you aside” (36:18). Not even a big amount of bribe must make one violate the principle of justice! The Wisdom Literature in the Old Testament books like Job, Psalms, Proverbs, etc. all contain words of God’s abhorrence to bribery. Psalm 15 is a classical text where a man after God’s liking is described as one who, among other attributes, is one who does not take bribe. The supreme attribute of God’s holiness is linked with justice and righteousness among people. Bribe perverts justice. In the Bible, justice and righteousness are either sides of the same coin. Love, faithfulness and righteousness result in peace and amity in society. Psalm 85 says: "Love and faithfulness meet together, righteousness and peace kiss each other.”
The Hebrew classical prophets like Micah, Isaiah, Amos, Hosea and others also denounced the evil of bribery in the ancient Israelite society. God said through Isaiah to that people, “Your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow’s case does not come before them” (Isaiah 1:23)
In the New Testament, there are direct and indirect warnings against unholy gains and evil practices like bribery, usury, greediness and the like. The most glaring yet notorious example of  taking bribes was that of Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, who took 30 silver coins and betrayed his master Jesus and handed him over to his enemies (Matthew 26:15).
Greatly astonishing is what the devil did to Jesus who had just finished 40 days-and-nights of fasting in the wilderness. The devil came to him and put him to test three times. In all those temptations he offered Jesus all authority, power and glory and wealth of the world if he would bow his head to him! But Jesus refused all those temptations and also rebuked him and then the devil left him.  
Another interesting case of bribery in the New Testament was when the Jewish religious leaders paid the guards a large sum of money as bribe so that they would tell people that Jesus’ body was stolen by his disciples. “When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away where we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.’” Bribery is a hydra-headed sin. Let us not be any party to it!
In conclusion, it can be said that bribery impedes human progress and destroys peace and justice in society. Yet, men are susceptible to corruption and bribery. And the irony is that bribery is one of the age-old human practices that have persisted ever since the dawn of civilisation. However, we must understand that a bribe is a dishonest gain; and giving and receiving of it is equally dishonest and must be equally abhorred and punished in society.
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The writer is a Christian theology teacher and church leader