Proverbs 24:1-2
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
24 Do not envy the wicked,
nor desire to be with them,(A)
2 for their minds devise violence,
and their lips talk of mischief.(B)
Proverbs 24:1-2
New English Translation
24 Do not envy evil people,[a]
do not desire[b] to be with them;
2 for their hearts contemplate violence,
and their lips speak harm.[c]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:1 tn Heb “evil men,” although the context indicates a generic sense.
- Proverbs 24:1 tn The Hitpael jussive is from the verb that means “to crave; to desire.” This is more of a coveting, an intense desire.
- Proverbs 24:2 sn This nineteenth saying warns against evil associations. Evil people are obsessed with destruction and trouble. See on this theme 1:10-19; 3:31 and 23:17. D. Kidner observes that a close view of sinners is often a good antidote to envying them (Proverbs [TOTC], 153).
Proverbs 24:19-20
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
19 Do not fret because of evildoers.
Do not envy the wicked,(A)
20 for the evil have no future;
the lamp of the wicked will go out.(B)
Proverbs 24:19-20
New English Translation
19 Do not fret because of evil people
or be envious of wicked people,
20 for the evil person has no future,[a]
and the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.[b]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:20 tn Heb “there is no end [i.e., future] for the evil.”
- Proverbs 24:20 sn The saying warns against envying the wicked; v. 19 provides the instruction, and v. 20 the motivation. The motivation is that there is no future hope for them—nothing to envy, or as C. H. Toy explains, there will be no good outcome for their lives (Proverbs [ICC], 449). They will die suddenly, as the implied comparison with the lamp being snuffed out signifies.
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