Proverbs 11:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.

NIV: The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.

NASB: The righteousness of the upright will rescue them, But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed.

CSB: The righteousness of the upright rescues them, but the treacherous are trapped by their own desires.

NLT: The godliness of good people rescues them; the ambition of treacherous people traps them.

KJV: The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness.

NKJV: The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, But the unfaithful will be caught by their lust.

The prior verse (Proverbs 11:5) makes a very similar point, using different phrases. A righteous person escapes from trouble and death. Trouble cannot trap him or defeat him. Leading a godly life means not engaging in the crooked, deceptive sins which lead to natural consequences. Godliness also leaves others no room for criticism, making it harder for evil people to tell lies about the godly person. His pursuit of righteousness empowers him to triumph over both.

Writing to the Corinthian church, the apostle Paul promises, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

The righteous person can trust in the Lord to supply grace to help him in time of need (Hebrews 4:16), but the sinful, self-serving one does not trust God. As a result, he is helpless when trouble and death strike him. His evil desires spin a web that traps him and he has no way of escape. James writes: "Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death" (James 1:14–15). It is all too common for those who indulge in sin to be destroyed by the consequences of that very vice.

Many of the proverbs in this section deal with contrasts between those who are righteous and those who are wicked. Righteous people follow God's will, bring honor and blessing on themselves, and have hope. Evil people disobey God, bring trouble on others, are hated, and their lives lead to disaster.

This continues a long passage filled with Solomon's general, common-sense observations. As in chapter 10, Solomon presents a variety of contrasts. We see distinctions such as those between integrity and dishonesty, trust in wealth and trust in the Lord, wise and foolish talk, true riches and false riches, the blessing of the righteous and the harm caused by the wicked, and the respective rewards of the godly and those who are evil.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.