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Proverbs 10:9
New English Translation
Proverbs 10:9
New English Translation
9 The one who conducts himself[a] in integrity[b] will live[c] securely,
but the one who behaves perversely[d] will be found out.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 10:9 tn Heb “he who walks.” The idiom is used widely in both OT and NT for conduct, behavior, or lifestyle.
- Proverbs 10:9 sn “Integrity” here means “blameless” in conduct. Security follows integrity, because the lifestyle is blameless. The righteous is certain of the course to be followed and does not fear retribution from man or God.
- Proverbs 10:9 tn Heb “walks.”
- Proverbs 10:9 tn Heb “he who perverts his ways” (so NASB); NIV “who takes crooked paths” (NLT similar). The Piel participle מְעַקֵּשׁ (meʿaqqesh) means “make crooked; twisted; perverse.” It is stronger than simply taking crooked paths; it refers to perverting the ways. The one who is devious will not get away with it.
Proverbs 10:9
International Standard Version
Proverbs 10:9
International Standard Version
9 Whoever walks in integrity lives prudently,[a]
but whoever perverts his way of life will be exposed.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 10:9 Lit. lives in safety
Proverbs 11:3
New English Translation
Proverbs 11:3
New English Translation
3 The integrity of the upright guides them,[a]
but the crookedness of the treacherous[b] destroys them.[c]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 11:3 sn This contrasts two lifestyles, affirming the value of integrity. The upright live with integrity—blamelessness—and that integrity leads them in success and happiness. Those who use treachery will be destroyed by it.
- Proverbs 11:3 tn The verb בָּגַד (bagad) means “to act treacherously, with duplicity, or to betray.”
- Proverbs 11:3 tc The form is a Kethib/Qere reading. The Qere, יְשָׁדֵּם (yeshoddem), is a Qal imperfect of שָׁדַד (shadad, “to devastate”) and is supported by the versions. The syntactically difficult Kethib, וְשַׁדָּם (veshaddam), is a Qal perfect consecutive prefixed with the conjunction vav.
Proverbs 11:3
International Standard Version
Proverbs 11:3
International Standard Version
3 The integrity of the righteous guides them,
but the hypocrisy of the treacherous destroys them.
Proverbs 13:6
New English Translation
Proverbs 13:6
New English Translation
6 Righteousness[a] guards the one who lives with integrity,[b]
but wickedness[c] overthrows the sinner.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 13:6 sn Righteousness refers to that which conforms to law and order. One who behaves with integrity will be safe from consequences of sin.
- Proverbs 13:6 tn Heb “integrity of way.” The term דָּרֶךְ (darekh) is a genitive of specification: “integrity in respect to his way.” This means living above reproach in their course of life. Cf. NASB “whose way is blameless”; NAB “who walks honestly.”
- Proverbs 13:6 sn Righteousness and wickedness are personified in this proverb to make the point of security and insecurity for the two courses of life.
Proverbs 13:6
International Standard Version
Proverbs 13:6
International Standard Version
6 Righteousness protects the blameless,
but wickedness brings down[a] the sinner.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 13:6 So MT DSS 4QProvb; LXX reads but sins ruin the wicked
Proverbs 15:26
New English Translation
Proverbs 15:26
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 15:26 tn Heb “an abomination of the Lord.” The term יְהוָה (yehvah, “the Lord”) functions as a subjective genitive: “the Lord abhors.”
- Proverbs 15:26 tn The noun מַחְשְׁבוֹת (makhshevot) means “thoughts” (so KJV, NIV, NLT), from the verb חָשַׁב (khashav, “to think; to reckon; to devise”). So these are intentions, what is being planned (cf. NAB “schemes”).
- Proverbs 15:26 tn The word רַע (raʿ, “evil, wicked”) is a genitive of source or subjective genitive, meaning the plans that the wicked devise—“wicked plans.”
- Proverbs 15:26 sn The contrast is between the “thoughts” and the “words.” The thoughts that are designed to hurt people the Lord hates; words that are pleasant (נֹעַם, noʿam), however, are pure (to him). What is pleasant is delightful, lovely, enjoyable.
- Proverbs 15:26 tc The MT simply has “but pleasant words are pure” (Heb “but pure [plural] are the words of pleasantness”). Some English versions add “to him” to make the connection to the first part (cf. NAB, NIV). The LXX has: “the sayings of the pure are held in honor.” The Vulgate has: “pure speech will be confirmed by him as very beautiful.” The NIV has paraphrased here: “but those of the pure are pleasing to him.”
Proverbs 15:26
International Standard Version
Proverbs 15:26
International Standard Version
26 To the Lord evil plans are detestable,
but pleasant words are pure.
Proverbs 21:8
New English Translation
Proverbs 21:8
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:8 tn The first line of the proverb is difficult. Since וָזָר (vazar) occurs only here it has been given much attention. The translation of “guilty” is drawn from an Arabic cognate meaning “to bear a burden” and so “to be sin laden” or “guilty” (cf. NASB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT). G. R. Driver prefers to read the line as “a man crooked of ways is false [zar]” (“Problems in the Hebrew Text of Proverbs,” Bib 32 [1951]: 185). C. H. Toy adopts the meaning of “proud” (Proverbs [ICC], 400). Whatever the reading, “guilty” or “proud” or “false,” the idea is that such people are devious. Bad people are underhanded; good people are aboveboard (C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 400). Another way to analyze the line is to read it with the definition “strange, stranger”: “The way of a man and a stranger is perverse.” But this is unclear, and would form no satisfactory contrast to 8b. Another suggestion is “the way of (usual) man is changeable and strange, but the pure fellow leads a straight and even course” (J. H. Greenstone, Proverbs, 244); cf. NLT “the innocent travel a straight road.”
- Proverbs 21:8 tn The form הֲפַכְפַךְ (hafakhpakh) is an adjective with an intensified meaning due to the duplication of the second and third radicals; it means “very devious; crooked” (from the verb “to overturn”).
- Proverbs 21:8 tn If this translation stands, then the construction is formed with an independent nominative absolute, resumed by the suffixed noun as the formal subject. It draws attention to the “pure” or “innocent” person in contrast to the previously mentioned wicked.
Proverbs 21:8
International Standard Version
Proverbs 21:8
International Standard Version
8 The conduct[a] of a guilty man is perverse,
but the behavior of the pure is upright.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:8 Lit. way
Proverbs 24:8-9
New English Translation
Proverbs 24:8-9
New English Translation
8 The one who plans to do evil
will be called a scheming person.[a]
9 A foolish scheme[b] is sin,
and the scorner is an abomination to people.[c]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:8 tn Heb “possessor of schemes”; NAB “an intriguer.” The picture of the wicked person is graphic: He devises plans to do evil and is known as a schemer. Elsewhere the “schemes” are outrageous and lewd (e.g., Lev 18:7; Judg 20:6). Here the description portrays him as a cold, calculating, active person: “the fool is capable of intense mental activity but it adds up to sin” (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 399).
- Proverbs 24:9 tn Heb “the scheme of folly” (NIV similar). The genitive functions as an attributive genitive, meaning “foolish scheme.” But it could also be interpreted as a genitive of source, the scheme that comes from folly (or from the fool if “folly” were metonymical).
- Proverbs 24:9 tn Heb “to a man”; cf. CEV “Everyone hates senseless fools.” sn This describes evil people who flout all morality and goodness; sooner or later the public will have had enough of them.
Proverbs 24:8-9
International Standard Version
Proverbs 24:8-9
International Standard Version
8 The person who plans on doing evil
will be called a schemer.
9 To devise folly is sin,
and people detest a scoffer.
Proverbs 28:18
New English Translation
Proverbs 28:18
New English Translation
18 The one who walks blamelessly will be delivered,[a]
but whoever is perverse in his ways will fall[b] at once.[c]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 28:18 tn The form is the Niphal imperfect of יָשַׁע (yashaʿ, “will be saved”). In all probability this refers to deliverance from misfortune. Some render it “kept safe” (NIV) or “will be safe” (NRSV, TEV). It must be interpreted in contrast to the corrupt person who will fall.
- Proverbs 28:18 tn The Qal imperfect יִפּוֹל (yippol) is given a future translation in this context, as is the previous verb (“will be delivered”) because the working out of divine retribution appears to be coming suddenly in the future. The idea of “falling” could be a metonymy of adjunct (with the falling accompanying the ruin that comes to the person), or it may simply be a comparison between falling and being destroyed. Cf. NCV “will suddenly be ruined”; NLT “will be destroyed.”
- Proverbs 28:18 tn The last word in the verse, בְּאֶחָת (beʾekhat), means “in one [= at once (?)].” This may indicate a sudden fall, for falling “in one” (the literal meaning) makes no sense. W. McKane wishes to emend the text to read “into a pit” based on v. 10b (Proverbs [OTL], 622); this emendation is followed by NAB, NRSV.
Proverbs 28:18
International Standard Version
Proverbs 28:18
International Standard Version
18 Whoever lives blamelessly will be delivered,
but whoever is perverted will fall without warning.
Proverbs 29:10
New English Translation
Proverbs 29:10
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 29:10 tn Heb “men of bloods.” The Hebrew word for “blood” is written in the plural to reflect the shedding of blood. So the expression “men of bloods” means people who shed blood—murderers, bloodthirsty men, or those who would not hesitate to commit murder in order to get what they want.
- Proverbs 29:10 sn The Hebrew word describes the “blameless” or “innocent” who maintain integrity. The bloodthirsty despise people who insist on decency and integrity.
- Proverbs 29:10 tn Heb “and the upright seek his life.” There are two ways this second line can be taken. (1) One can see it as a continuation of the first line, meaning that the bloodthirsty men also “seek the life of the upright” (cf. NIV, NRSV). The difficulty is that the suffix is singular but the apparent referent is plural. (2) One can take it is as a contrast: “but as for the upright, they seek his life”—a fairly straightforward rendering (cf. ASV). The difficulty here is that “seeking a life” is normally a hostile act, but it would here be positive: “seeking” a life to preserve it. The verse would then say that the bloodthirsty hate the innocent, but the righteous protect them (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 637; cf. NAB, NASB, TEV).
Proverbs 29:10
International Standard Version
Proverbs 29:10
International Standard Version
10 Bloodthirsty men hate the innocent person,
but the upright show concern for his life.
New English Translation (NET)
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