The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them.
Parallel translations
- WEB The words of the wicked are about lying in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them.
- KJV The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.
- NKJV The words of the wicked are, “Lie in wait for blood,” But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.
- NASB The words of the wicked wait in ambush for blood, But the mouth of the upright will rescue them.
- NLT The words of the wicked are like a murderous ambush, but the words of the godly save lives.
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
The words of the wicked lie in wait to harm, but the speech of the upright rescues. Speech can be a deadly trap or a means of deliverance.
Overview
The proverb sets murderous, ensnaring speech against words that rescue and protect, showing the moral power of the tongue. The wicked use words to ambush, while the upright use them to save. Believers are called to use their speech for the good and deliverance of others, reflecting the saving word of the gospel.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Prov 14:3The proud speech of a fool brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them.
- Jer 5:26For among My people are wicked men; they watch like fowlers lying in wait; they set a trap to catch men.
- Isa 59:7Their feet run to evil; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and destruction lie in their wake.
- Prov 1:11–19If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause,
- Acts 23:15Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him down to you on the pretext of examining his case more carefully. We are ready to kill him on the way.”
- Esth 7:4–6For my people and I have been sold out to destruction, death, and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as menservants and maidservants, I would have remained silent, because no such distress would justify burdening the king.”
- Acts 23:12When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
- 2 Sam 17:1–4Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David.
- Esth 4:7–14and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money that Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury in order to destroy the Jews.
- Mic 7:1–2Woe is me! For I am like one gathering summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster to eat, no early fig that I crave.
- Acts 25:3to grant them a concession against Paul by summoning him to Jerusalem, because they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.
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 12:6 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.