Proverbs 21:18-20
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
18 The wicked serve as ransom for the just,
and the faithless for the upright.[a](A)
19 It is better to dwell in a wilderness
than with a quarrelsome wife and trouble.
20 Precious treasure and oil are in the house of the wise,
but the fool consumes them.
Footnotes
- 21:18 In this bold paradox, the ransom that protects the righteous is the wicked person who attracts, like a lightning rod, the divine wrath that might have been directed at the righteous.
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