Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 8th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Proverbs 17:13

Those who return evil for good will meet their own evil returning.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Evil for Good;   Ingratitude;   Thompson Chain Reference - Evil;   Evil for Good;   Gratitude-Ingratitude;   The Topic Concordance - Evil;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ingratitude;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Fool, Foolishness, and Folly;   Proverbs, Book of;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Prov'erbs, Book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fool;   Poetry, Hebrew;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Blessing of Children;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
If anyone returns evil for good,evil will never depart from his house.
Hebrew Names Version
Whoever rewards evil for good, Evil shall not depart from his house.
King James Version
Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
English Standard Version
If anyone returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house.
New American Standard Bible
One who returns evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house.
New Century Version
Whoever gives evil in return for good will always have trouble at home.
Amplified Bible
Whoever returns evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house.
World English Bible
Whoever rewards evil for good, Evil shall not depart from his house.
Geneva Bible (1587)
He that rewardeth euil for good, euil shall not depart from his house.
Legacy Standard Bible
He who returns evil for good,Evil will not depart from his house.
Berean Standard Bible
If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never leave his house.
Contemporary English Version
You will always have trouble if you are mean to those who are good to you.
Complete Jewish Bible
Evil will not depart from the house of him who returns evil for good.
Darby Translation
Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
Easy-to-Read Version
If you do wrong to those who were good to you, you will have trouble the rest of your life.
George Lamsa Translation
He who rewards evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
Good News Translation
If you repay good with evil, you will never get evil out of your house.
Lexham English Bible
For he who returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house.
Literal Translation
Whoever rewards evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Who so rewardeth euell for good, the plage shal not departe fro his house.
American Standard Version
Whoso rewardeth evil for good, Evil shall not depart from his house.
Bible in Basic English
If anyone gives back evil for good, evil will never go away from his house.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
King James Version (1611)
Whoso rewardeth euill for good, euill shall not depart from his house.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Who so rewardeth euill for good, euil shall not depart from his house.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Whoso rewards evil for good, evil shall not be removed from his house.
English Revised Version
Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Yuel schal not go a wei fro the hous of hym, that yeldith yuels for goodis.
Update Bible Version
Whoever rewards evil for good, Evil shall not depart from his house.
Webster's Bible Translation
Whoever rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
New English Translation
As for the one who repays evil for good, evil will not leave his house.
New King James Version
Whoever rewards evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house.
New Living Translation
If you repay good with evil, evil will never leave your house.
New Life Bible
If a man returns bad for good, trouble will not leave his house.
New Revised Standard
Evil will not depart from the house of one who returns evil for good.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
He that returneth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
Douay-Rheims Bible
He that rendereth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
Revised Standard Version
If a man returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house.
Young's Literal Translation
Whoso is returning evil for good, Evil moveth not from his house.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He who returns evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house.

Contextual Overview

13 Those who return evil for good will meet their own evil returning.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

1 Samuel 24:17, 1 Samuel 31:2, 1 Samuel 31:3, 2 Samuel 21:1-14, Psalms 35:12, Psalms 38:20, Psalms 55:12-15, Psalms 109:4-13, Jeremiah 18:20, Jeremiah 18:21, Matthew 27:5, Matthew 27:25, Romans 12:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:15, 1 Peter 3:9

Reciprocal: Genesis 44:4 - Wherefore 1 Samuel 19:4 - because his works 1 Samuel 25:21 - he hath requited 1 Chronicles 10:14 - he slew 2 Chronicles 20:11 - how they reward us 2 Chronicles 24:22 - but slew his son Psalms 109:5 - they Proverbs 20:22 - I Jeremiah 37:18 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 37:36
In Egypt the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, manager of his household affairs.
Genesis 39:1
After Joseph had been taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelites, Potiphar an Egyptian, one of Pharaoh's officials and the manager of his household, bought him from them.
Exodus 21:2
"When you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve six years. The seventh year he goes free, for nothing. If he came in single he leaves single. If he came in married he leaves with his wife. If the master gives him a wife and she gave him sons and daughters, the wife and children stay with the master and he leaves by himself. But suppose the slave should say, ‘I love my master and my wife and children—I don't want my freedom,' then his master is to bring him before God and to a door or doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl, a sign that he is a slave for life.
Exodus 21:16
"If someone kidnaps a person, the penalty is death, regardless of whether the person has been sold or is still held in possession.
Nehemiah 5:8
The "Great Protest" A great protest was mounted by the people, including the wives, against their fellow Jews. Some said, "We have big families, and we need food just to survive." Others said, "We're having to mortgage our fields and vineyards and homes to get enough grain to keep from starving." And others said, "We're having to borrow money to pay the royal tax on our fields and vineyards. Look: We're the same flesh and blood as our brothers here; our children are just as good as theirs. Yet here we are having to sell our children off as slaves—some of our daughters have already been sold—and we can't do anything about it because our fields and vineyards are owned by somebody else." I got really angry when I heard their protest and complaints. After thinking it over, I called the nobles and officials on the carpet. I said, "Each one of you is gouging his brother." Then I called a big meeting to deal with them. I told them, "We did everything we could to buy back our Jewish brothers who had to sell themselves as slaves to foreigners. And now you're selling these same brothers back into debt slavery! Does that mean that we have to buy them back again?" They said nothing. What could they say?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Whoso rewardeth evil for good,.... As the enemies of David and Christ rewarded them, Psalms 35:12; this is base ingratitude, contrary to the law and light of nature; worse than beastly, is really devilish;

evil shall not depart from his house; from him and his family; they shall be continually visited with one disease and calamity or another; so hateful and offensive is the sin of ingratitude to God, and therefore ought to be carefully avoided. This might be illustrated by the judgments of God on the nation of the Jews, for their ingratitude to Christ.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 17:13. Whoso rewardeth evil for good — Here is a most awful warning. As many persons are guilty of the sin of ingratitude, and of paying kindness with unkindness, and good with evil, it is no wonder we find so much wretchedness among men; for God's word cannot fail; evil shall not depart from the houses and families of such persons.


 
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