No harm happens to the righteous, But the wicked are filled with trouble.
Parallel translations
- WEB No mischief shall happen to the righteous, but the wicked shall be filled with evil.
- KJV There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief.
- 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.
- 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 3:13Now who is he who will harm you, if you become imitators of that which is good?
- Ps 91:10no evil shall happen to you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.
- Rom 8:28We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.
- Prov 1:31Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own schemes.
- Jer 13:12–14“Therefore you shall speak to them this word: ‘Yahweh, the God of Israel says, “Every bottle shall be filled with wine.”’ They will tell you, ‘Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?’
- Hab 2:16You are filled with shame, and not glory. You will also drink, and be exposed! The cup of Yahweh’s right hand will come around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory.
- Rev 18:6Return to her just as she returned, and repay her double as she did, and according to her works. In the cup which she mixed, mix to her double.
- Prov 14:14The unfaithful will be repaid for his own ways; likewise a good man will be rewarded for his ways.
- 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 for the moment, works for us more and more exceedingly an 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.