PROV 20:22 Parallel Verse View

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=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, green:YHWH.
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).

ULT Do not say, “I will repay evil.”
⇔ Wait for Yahweh, and he will save you.

UST Do not say that you will harm someone who has harmed you.
⇔ Rather, wait for Yahweh to resolve the matter, so that he may vindicate you.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE Don’t say, “I will pay back evil.”
⇔ Wait for the LORD, and he will save you.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Do not say, “I will pay back evil!”
⇔ Wait for the Lord, so that he may vindicate you.

LSV Do not say, “I repay evil,”
Wait for YHWH, and He delivers you.

FBV Don't say, “I'll get you back for doing me wrong.” Leave it to the Lord, and he'll help you.

T4T ⇔ Do not say, “I will do evil to those who do evil to me;”
⇔ wait for Yahweh to do something about it, and he will ◄help you/do what is right►.

LEB • Do not say “I will repay evil”; wait for Yahweh and he will deliver you.

BBE Do not say, I will give punishment for evil: go on waiting for the Lord, and he will be your saviour.

Moff Never say, “I will revenge my wrongs”;
⇔ wait for the Eternal to help you.

JPS Say not thou: 'I will requite evil'; wait for the LORD, and He will save thee.

ASV Say not thou, I will recompense evil:
⇔ Wait for Jehovah, and he will save thee.

DRA Say not: I will return evil: wait for the Lord and he will deliver thee.

YLT Do not say, 'I recompense evil,' Wait for Jehovah, and He delivereth thee.

Drby Say not, I will recompense evil: wait on Jehovah, and he shall save thee.

RV Say not thou, I will recompense evil: wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.
(Say not thou/you, I will recompense evil: wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee/you. )

SLT Thou shalt not say, I will requite evil; wait for Jehovah, he will save to thee.

Wbstr Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.

KJB-1769 Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.
(Say not thou/you, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee/you. )

KJB-1611 Say not thou, I will recompence euil: but wait on the LORD, and he shall saue thee.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Say not thou, I wyll recompence euyll: but put thy trust in the Lorde, and he shall deliuer thee.
(Say not thou/you, I will recompense evil: but put thy/your trust in the Lord, and he shall deliver thee/you.)

Gnva Say not thou, I wil recompense euill: but waite vpon the Lord, and he shall saue thee.
(Say not thou/you, I will recompense evil: but wait upon the Lord, and he shall save thee/you. )

Cvdl Saye not thou: I will recompence euell, but put yi trust in the LORDE, & he shal defende ye.
(Say not thou: I will recompense evil, but put ye/you_all trust in the LORD, and he shall defend ye/you_all.)

Wycl Seie thou not, Y schal yelde yuel for yuel; abide thou the Lord, and he schal delyuere thee.
(Say thou/you not, I shall yield evil for evil; abide thou/you the Lord, and he shall deliver thee/you.)

Luth Sprich nicht: Ich will Böses vergelten. Harre des HErr’s, der wird dir helfen.
(Speak not: I will evil retaliate. Wait the LORD’s, the/of_the becomes you/to_you(sg) help.)

ClVg Ne dicas: Reddam malum: exspecta Dominum, et liberabit te.
(Don't say: Reddam evil: wait the_Master, and will_deliver you(sg). )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 10:1–22:16: This is the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs

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

20:22

This proverb refers to a situation in which someone has been wronged by another person. The first line tells him how he should not respond to the person who wronged him. The second line tells him how he should respond.

^22aDo not say, “I will avenge this evil!”

^22bWait on the LORD, and He will save you.

The overall meaning is that a person should trust the LORD for his deliverance and should not get revenge himself.

If you use cross-references in your translation, you may want to add a footnote such as:

See Deuteronomy 32:35–36.

20:22a

Do not say, “I will avenge this evil!”

Do not say to someone who has wronged you^(sing), “I will get revenge for the bad/wrong you did to me!”
If a person does something wrong/bad to you, do not retaliate.

Do not say, “I will avenge this evil!”: In Hebrew, this line is literally: Do not say, “I will repay evil,” as in the ESV. In some languages, it will be necessary to make explicit some of the implied information. For example:

Don’t say, “I’ll pay you back for the wrong you did.” (NCV)

This line is a direct quote. In some languages, it may be more natural to express the person’s intention without using a quote. For example:

Don’t try to get even. (CEV)

20:22b

Wait on the LORD, and He will save you.

Instead, trust in Yahweh, and he will help you^(sing).
Wait for Yahweh to do what is right.

Wait on the LORD: The verb that the BSB translates as Wait on means “trust” or “rely on.” It indicates here that the person who was wronged should rely on the LORD to take whatever action is necessary.

and He will save you: This clause indicates that the LORD will save or “deliver” the person in some way. It does not specify what the LORD will do to deliver the person. He may:

help the person to recover from the wrong that someone did to him, including damage to his reputationHubbard (page 303), Longman (page 383).
punish the wrongdoerWaltke (pages 152–153).

If possible, translate in a way that will allow either of these options to be understood. For example:

Trust in the Lord and he will help you. (NAB)

Wait for the Lord to handle the matter. (NLT)

Trust the Lord and he will make it right. (GNT)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / quotations

אַל־תֹּאמַ֥ר אֲשַׁלְּמָה־רָ֑ע

not say repay evil

If it would be more natural in your language, you could express this as an indirect quotation. Alternate translation: “Do not say that you will repay evil”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

אֲשַׁלְּמָה־רָ֑ע

repay evil

Here Solomon refers to doing wrong to someone who has done wrong to you as if you were paying them back for something. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I will avenge evil” or “I will harm people who have harmed me”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

רָ֑ע

evil

See how you translated the abstract noun evil in [1:16](../01/16.md).

Note 4 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast

קַוֵּ֥ה לַֽ֝⁠יהוָ֗ה וְ⁠יֹ֣שַֽׁע לָֽ⁠ךְ

wait to/for=YHWH so,that_he_may_deliver to/for=you(fs)

The idea of this clause is in contrast with the idea of the previous clause. Use the most natural way in your language to indicate a contrast. Alternate translation: “Instead, wait for Yahweh, and he will save you”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

קַוֵּ֥ה לַֽ֝⁠יהוָ֗ה

wait to/for=YHWH

This could mean: (1) Wait for Yahweh to resolve the situation. Alternate translation: “Wait for Yahweh to take care of the issue” (2) Trust Yahweh. Alternate translation: “Trust Yahweh”

Note 6 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

וְ⁠יֹ֣שַֽׁע לָֽ⁠ךְ

so,that_he_may_deliver to/for=you(fs)

Here, and introduces the result of obeying the command stated in the previous clause. Use the most natural way in your language to indicate result. Alternate translation: “and it will result in him saving you”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit