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Prov Intro C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24 C25 C26 C27 C28 C29 C30 C31
Prov 12 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26 V27 V28
Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV) An evil person entices others with their rebellious lips,
⇔ ^ but godly people stay out of trouble.![]()
OET-LV is_in_the_transgression_of lips a_snare evil and_he/it_went_out from_trouble a_righteous_person.
![]()
UHB בְּפֶ֣שַׁע שְׂ֭פָתַיִם מוֹקֵ֣שׁ רָ֑ע וַיֵּצֵ֖א מִצָּרָ֣ה צַדִּֽיק׃ ‡
(bəfeshaˊ səfātayim mōqēsh rāˊ vayyēʦēʼ miʦʦārāh ʦaddiq.)
Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
BrLXX Διʼ ἁμαρτίαν χειλέων ἐμπίπτει εἰς παγίδας ἁμαρτωλὸς, ἐκφεύγει δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν δίκαιος·
(Diʼ hamartian ⱪeileōn empiptei eis pagidas hamartōlos, ekfeugei de ex autōn dikaios; )
BrTr For the sin of his lips a sinner falls into snares; but a righteous man escapes from them.
ULT In the transgression of lips is the snare of an evil one,
⇔ but a righteous one will go out from distress.
UST The sinful things that wicked people say will destroy them,
⇔ but righteous people escape from trouble.
BSB An evil man is trapped by his rebellious speech,
⇔ but a righteous man escapes from trouble.
MSB (Same as BSB above)
OEB No OEB PROV book available
WEBBE An evil man is trapped by sinfulness of lips,
⇔ but the righteous shall come out of trouble.
WMBB (Same as above)
NET The evil person is ensnared by the transgression of his speech,
⇔ but the righteous person escapes out of trouble.
LSV The snare of the wicked [is] in transgression of the lips,
And the righteous goes out from distress.
FBV The wicked trap themselves by their own sinful words, but good people escape trouble.
T4T ⇔ Evil people are trapped by the evil things that they say [MTY],
⇔ but righteous people escape from trouble.
LEB • By the transgression of lips, evil is ensnared, but the righteous escapes from trouble.
BBE In the sin of the lips is a net which takes the sinner, but the upright man will come out of trouble.
Moff By sins of the lips bad men get into trouble:
⇔ good men get out of trouble.
JPS In the transgression of the lips is a snare to the evil man; but the righteous cometh out of trouble.
ASV In the transgression of the lips is a snare to the evil man;
⇔ But the righteous shall come out of trouble.
DRA For the sins of the lips ruin draweth nigh to the evil mall: but the just shall escape out of distress.
YLT In transgression of the lips [is] the snare of the wicked, And the righteous goeth out from distress.
Drby In the transgression of the lips is an evil snare; but a righteous [man] shall go forth out of trouble.
RV In the transgression of the lips is a snare to the evil man: but the righteous shall come out of trouble.
SLT In the transgression of the lips is the snare of evil: and the just one shall come forth out of straits.
Wbstr The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.
KJB-1769 The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.[fn]
12.13 The wicked…: Heb. The snare of the wicked is in the transgression of lips
KJB-1611 [fn]The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lippes: but the iust shall come out of trouble.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above apart from footnotes)
12:13 Heb. the snare of the wicked is in the transgression of lippes.
Bshps The wicked falleth into the snare thorowe the malice of his owne mouth: but the iust shall escape out of all perill.
(The wicked falleth into the snare through the malice of his own mouth: but the just shall escape out of all perill.)
Gnva The euill man is snared by the wickednesse of his lips, but the iust shall come out of aduersitie.
(The evil man is snared by the wickedness of his lips, but the just shall come out of adversity. )
Cvdl The wicked falleth in to the snare thorow ye malyce of his owne mouth, but the iust shal escape out of parell.
(The wicked falleth in to the snare through ye/you_all malyce of his own mouth, but the just shall escape out of parell.)
Wycl For the synnes of lippis `falling doun neiyeth to an yuel man; but a iust man schal scape fro angwisch.
(For the sins of lips falling down approacheth/approaches to an evil man; but a just man shall scape from angwisch.)
Luth Der Böse wird gefangen in seinen eigenen falschen Worten; aber der Gerechte entgehet der Angst.
(The evil/evil_person becomes caught in his own wrong/fake words; but the/of_the righteous_(one) escapes the/of_the fear/anxiety.)
ClVg [Propter peccata labiorum ruina proximat malo; effugiet autem justus de angustia.
([Because sins of_the_lips ruin(n) nextt I_prefer; will_escape however just from/about distress. )
This section is the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs. It has a very different structure from the longer poetic lectures of chapters 1–9. It consists mostly of individual couplets (two-line poems) that are each one verse in length. With the exception of the title (10:1a), paragraph breaks will not be indicated in the Notes or Display. You may of course choose to start each proverb as a separate paragraph in your translation.
In chapters 10–15, most of these one-verse couplets express a contrast between the two lines. One of the more common contrasts is between the righteous/wise and the wicked/foolish and the different consequences of their conduct.
In chapters 16:1–22:16, more topics are discussed. There is more emphasis on the role of the king and other leaders. In these chapters, there are few proverbs with contrasting lines. Some of the parallel lines are similar in meaning. More frequently, the second line adds to what the first line says or gives an example. Most of the verses have no obvious connection with the previous or following proverbs.UBS (page 214), Fox (page 509), McKane (page 413). Many scholars, including McKane, point out that there are some topical groupings as well as poetic connections. These include the repetition of certain words or sounds. This observation does not deny the individual nature of most of the proverbs in this Section.
Two of the types of proverbs in this section are not found in chapters 1–9. One type contains logical reasoning from the lesser to the greater. See 11:31 for a list of these proverbs. There are also several varieties of complex “better than” proverbs. The most common have a contrasting situation in each line (see 12:9). For other varieties, see 16:16, 19:1, and 21:9.
Many of the proverbs in this section refer to categories of people who share a common trait. For example, they refer to the righteous, the wise, the poor, and the lazy. In Hebrew, some verses use singular forms to refer to these groups of people. Other verses use plural forms. Still others use a combination of singular and plural. See the note on 10:30a–b for one example. For most of these verses, the Notes will not comment on the difference between singular and plural forms. Use a natural way in your language to refer to one or more people who are in the same category.
Many of the proverbs in this section express a general principle in abstract terms. They are not addressed specifically to the readers. For example, 10:2a–b says:
Ill-gotten treasures are of no value,
but righteousness delivers from death.
However, the author intended his readers to understand these proverbs as advice that they should follow. In some languages, authors or speakers give advice more directly, using pronouns such as you(sing), you(plur), we(dual), or we(incl). See the note on 10:2 for translation suggestions.
Some other headings for this section are:
Proverbs of Solomon (NIV)
The Wise Words of Solomon (NCV)
Here are many wise things that Solomon said
Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:
13aAn evil man is trapped by his rebellious speech,
13bbut a righteous man escapes from trouble.
An evil man…a righteous man: The phrases An evil man and a righteous man are both singular in Hebrew. These phrases refer to an evil or righteous person as a representative of the class of evil or righteous people. These phrases may also be expressed using the plural, for example, “evil people” and “righteous people.” They would then refer to evil or righteous people as a group. You may use whatever is more natural in your language, either singular or plural or a combination of the two.
An evil man is trapped by his rebellious speech,
An evil person will be as if caught in a trap because of the bad things that he says intending to harm others.
An evil person will suddenly find himself in severe trouble caused by the slander that he himself has spoken.
An evil man is trapped by his rebellious speech: In Hebrew, this line is literally “In the transgression of lips is a snare/trap of an evil person.” This clause is a metaphor. It compares malicious words to a snare or trap.
A hunter sets a trap with the intention of catching an unsuspecting animal or bird. Similarly, an evil person says malicious things about an innocent person. He intends to get the innocent person into trouble. But eventually he gets caught in his own trap.There are at least three interpretations of the meaning of moqeš raʿ “trap of evil”: 1) trap in which an evil person is caught (BSB, NIV, NRSV, REB, NCV, GW, NLT, CEV, GNT); 2) trap which is set by an evil person; 3) trap which is evil in nature, for example, “a disastrous trap” (NJB). Various scholars give at least two options, and Waltke (p. 530) is no doubt correct in saying that this metaphor contains several puns or double meanings. These interpretations are not discussed as such in the body of the Notes, because they are not adequately represented in the versions. To his own surprise, he is the one who undergoes punishment or disaster.
In some languages, a literal translation of this metaphor may be difficult to understand. If that is true in your language, some other ways to translate the metaphor are:
Change the metaphor to a simile. Make explicit one or more of the similarities. For example:
An evil person who intends to cause harm by the bad things that he says will suffer the consequences of his own words. He will be just like an animal that is suddenly caught in a trap.
Express the meaning without a figure of speech. For example:
Evil people will be unexpectedly destroyed by their own malicious words.
rebellious speech: This phrase refers here to malicious words, such as slander. A person says such words with the intention to cause harm or trouble to someone else.
but a righteous man escapes from trouble.
In contrast, righteous people will be able to escape from any severe hardship that they experience.
But those who do what is right come safely through the bad things that happen that cause suffering/distress.
but a righteous man escapes from trouble: The Hebrew phrase that the BSB translates as escapes from trouble is literally “goes out from trouble.” Scholars interpret this phrase in two ways:
A righteous person sometimes experiences trouble, but he escapes from it. For example:
but the righteous come safely through trouble (REB)
but the upright finds a way out of misfortune (NJB) (BSB, ESV, GW, KJV, NASB, NET, NJB, NJPS, NRSV, REB, GNT)The ESV, GW, NASB, and NRSV are listed under interpretation (1) because they use the phrase “escape(s) from trouble.” To the author of these Notes, that implies that they were initially in trouble. By contrast, the NIV translation “escape trouble” is ambiguous, since one can escape the trouble one is already in, or one can escape getting into trouble in the first place.
A righteous person does not say what is evil, so he avoids being trapped by his words. For example:
but good people stay out of trouble (NCV) (CEV, NCV, NLT)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions. This fits the normal meaning of the Hebrew verb phrase “go out from.” It is also acceptable to translate in a way that either meaning can be understood. For example:
but a righteous man escapes trouble (NIV)
trouble: This word refers to any kind of severe physical or mental suffering or distress. It can also refer to a condition of extreme hardship. The same word occurs in 11:8a and 1:27a–c (where the BSB translates it as “distress”).
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / possession
בְּפֶ֣שַׁע שְׂ֭פָתַיִם
[is]_in_[the],transgression_of lips
Here Solomon is using the possessive form to describe lips that are characterized by transgression. If your language would not use the possessive form for this, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: “In the lips that speak transgression”
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy
שְׂ֭פָתַיִם
lips
See how you translated the same use of lips in [10:18](../10/18.md).
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy
מוֹקֵ֣שׁ רָ֑ע
ensnared evil
Here Solomon refers to the disasters that an evil one experiences because of what he says as if it were a snare that he was trapped in. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “is what destroys an evil one”
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun
רָ֑ע & צַדִּֽיק
evil & law-abiding/just
See how you translated a righteous one and a wicked one in [11:08](../11/08.md).
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
וַיֵּצֵ֖א מִצָּרָ֣ה צַדִּֽיק
and=he/it_went_out from,trouble law-abiding/just
Here Solomon refers to avoiding distress as if it were a place that one could go out from. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “but the righteous one will avoid distress”
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
מִצָּרָ֣ה
from,trouble
See how you translated the abstract noun distress in [1:27](../01/27.md).