There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief.
Parallel translations
- WEB No mischief shall happen to the righteous, but the wicked shall be filled with evil.
- BSB No harm befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble.
- NKJV No grave trouble will overtake the righteous, But the wicked shall be filled with evil.
- NASB No harm happens to the righteous, But the wicked are filled with trouble.
- NLT No harm comes to the godly, but the wicked have their fill of trouble.
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
No lasting harm overtakes the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble. God's care guards the righteous, while evil brings its own affliction.
Overview
This proverb expresses the general truth that the righteous are kept from ultimate harm, while the wicked are overwhelmed by trouble. As wisdom literature it states God's overarching protection of His people, not a guarantee against all suffering in this life. Its full assurance rests in God's care for those who are His in Christ, whom nothing can ultimately separate from His love.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Pet 3:13And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
- Ps 91:10There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
- Rom 8:28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
- Prov 1:31Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
- Jer 13:12–14Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?
- Hab 2:16Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the LORD’s right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.
- Rev 18:6Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
- Prov 14:14The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.
- 1 Cor 3:22–23Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
- 2 Cor 4:17For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 12:21 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.