The integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.
Parallel translations
- KJV The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.
- BSB The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the faithless destroys them.
- NKJV The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.
- NASB The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the treacherous will destroy them.
- NLT Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Integrity guides the upright, but duplicity destroys the treacherous. A sound and honest character keeps us on a safe path.
Overview
The verse contrasts wholeness of character, which steers a person rightly, with deceitful crookedness, which leads to self-ruin. Integrity is not just morally good but practically protective, while betrayal undermines those who practice it. This wholeness is restored in Christ, who makes His people sincere and blameless before God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Prov 28:18Whoever walks blamelessly is kept safe; but one with perverse ways will fall suddenly.
- Prov 13:6Righteousness guards the way of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.
- Ps 25:21Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
- Ps 26:1By David. Judge me, Yahweh, for I have walked in my integrity. I have trusted also in Yahweh without wavering.
- John 7:17If anyone desires to do his will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is from God, or if I am speaking from myself.
- Prov 19:3The foolishness of man subverts his way; his heart rages against Yahweh.
- Eccl 7:17Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?
- Prov 11:5The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way, but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.
- Isa 1:28But the destruction of transgressors and sinners shall be together, and those who forsake Yahweh shall be consumed.
- Prov 21:7The violence of the wicked will drive them away, because they refuse to do what is right.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 11:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.