Proverbs 11:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The righteous is delivered from trouble, and the wicked walks into it instead.

NIV: The righteous person is rescued from trouble, and it falls on the wicked instead.

NASB: The righteous is rescued from trouble, But the wicked takes his place.

CSB: The righteous one is rescued from trouble; in his place, the wicked one goes in.

NLT: The godly are rescued from trouble, and it falls on the wicked instead.

KJV: The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead.

NKJV: The righteous is delivered from trouble, And it comes to the wicked instead.

Once again, Solomon contrasts the way righteous and wicked persons deal with life's troubles. This uses the typical style of a "proverb," which is a general case, common sense statement. Here, the typical pattern is that a moral life generally keeps a person out of trouble, while a sinful life often brings on terrible consequences. Obedience to God's commands, in particular (Proverbs 1:7), helps a godly person avoid danger. Those who ignore this wisdom move straight towards their own ruin.

The book of Esther illustrates this truth. Mordecai, a righteous Jew, was delivered from the gallows wicked Haman had constructed for him, but Haman was hanged there (Esther 9:24–25). A wicked lifestyle leads to trouble. By defiling the body with drugs and illicit sex, a person experiences poor health. By committing crime, a person courts trouble with the law, and is likely to end up behind bars. By violating God's command not to commit adultery, a person will encounter marital problems and may experience public disgrace. It is always wise to obey God and live under the smile of His approval.

Proverbs 11:1–8 describes the righteous life of a wise man in contrast to the corrupt life of a wicked man. The righteous person is honest and is delivered from trouble, whereas the wicked person is dishonest, crooked, lustful, and without hope.

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.