Proverbs 3:28

Good News Translation

Never tell your neighbors to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Don’t say to your neighbor, “Go away! Come back later.I’ll give it tomorrow”—when it is there with you.

Hebrew Names Version
Don't say to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, Tomorrow I will give," When you have it by you.

King James Version
Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.

English Standard Version
Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it"—when you have it with you.

New Century Version
If you have what your neighbor asks for, don't say, "Come back later. I will give it to you tomorrow."

New English Translation
Do not say to your neighbor, "Go! Return tomorrow and I will give it," when you have it with you at the time.

Amplified Bible
Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it," When you have it with you.

New American Standard Bible
Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it to you," When you have it with you.

World English Bible
Don't say to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, Tomorrow I will give," When you have it by you.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Say not vnto thy neighbour, Go and come againe, and to morow wil I giue thee, if thou now haue it.

Legacy Standard Bible
Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come back,And tomorrow I will give it,"When it is there with you.

Berean Standard Bible
Do not tell your neighbor, "Come back tomorrow and I will provide"-when you already have the means.

Contemporary English Version
Don't tell your neighbor to come back tomorrow, if you can help today.

Complete Jewish Bible
Don't tell your neighbor, "Go away! Come another time; I'll give it to you tomorrow," when you have it now.

Darby Translation
Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to-morrow I will give, when thou hast it by thee.

Easy-to-Read Version
If your neighbor needs something you have, don't say, "Come back tomorrow." Give it to him immediately.

George Lamsa Translation
When you have something, do not say to your neighbor, Go, and come again tomorrow, and I will give it to you.

Lexham English Bible
Do not say to your neighbor, "Go and return and tomorrow I will give it," when it is with you.

Literal Translation
Do not say to your neighbor, Go and come back again, or, Tomorrow I will give, when you have it beside you.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Saye not vnto thy neghboure: go thy waye & come agayne, tomorow wil I geue the:

American Standard Version
Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again, And to-morrow I will give; When thou hast it by thee.

Bible in Basic English
Say not to your neighbour, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; when you have it by you at the time.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Say not unto thy neighbour: 'Go, and come again, and to-morrow I will give'; when thou hast it by thee.

King James Version (1611)
Say not vnto thy neighbour, Goe, and come againe, and to morrow I will giue, when thou hast it by thee.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Say not vnto thy neyghbour, go thy way and come agayne, and to morowe wyll I geue thee: where as thou hast nowe to geue hym.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Say not, Come back another time, to-morrow I will give; while thou art able to do him good: for thou knowest not what the next day will bring forth.

English Revised Version
Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Seie thou not to thi frend, Go, and turne thou ayen, and to morewe Y schal yyue to thee; whanne thou maist yyue anoon.

Update Bible Version
Don't say to your neighbor, Go, and come again, And tomorrow I will give; When you have it by you.

Webster's Bible Translation
Say not to thy neighbor, Go, and come again, and to-morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.

New King James Version
Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it," When you have it with you.

New Living Translation
If you can help your neighbor now, don't say, "Come back tomorrow, and then I'll help you."

New Life Bible
Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and return tomorrow, and I will give it," when you have it with you.

New Revised Standard
Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it"—when you have it with you.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Do not say to thy neighbour, Go and come again, and to-morrow I will give, when thou hast it by thee.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Say not to thy friend: Go, and come again: and to morrow I will give to thee: when thou canst give at present.

Revised Standard Version
Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it" --when you have it with you.

Young's Literal Translation
Say not thou to thy friend, `Go, and return, and to-morrow I give,' And substance with thee.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it," When you have it with you.

Contextual Overview

²⁷ Whenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it. ²⁸ Never tell your neighbors to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now. ²⁹ Don't plan anything that will hurt your neighbors; they live beside you, trusting you. ³⁰ Don't argue with others for no reason when they have never done you any harm. ³¹ Don't be jealous of violent people or decide to act as they do, ³² because the Lord hates people who do evil, but he takes righteous people into his confidence. ³³ The Lord puts a curse on the homes of the wicked, but blesses the homes of the righteous. ³⁴ He has no use for conceited people, but shows favor to those who are humble. ³⁵ Wise people will gain an honorable reputation, but stupid people will only add to their own disgrace.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Proverbs 27:1, Leviticus 19:13, Deuteronomy 24:12-15, Ecclesiastes 9:10, Ecclesiastes 11:6, 2 Corinthians 8:11, 2 Corinthians 9:3, 1 Timothy 6:18

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 15:13 - General Deuteronomy 24:15 - At his 2 Chronicles 10:5 - Come again Esther 6:4 - Who is in the court Song of Solomon 5:3 - have put Matthew 5:42 - General Luke 6:30 - Give Acts 16:10 - immediately Romans 13:8 - Owe James 2:16 - one

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Say not unto thy neighbour,.... Either to whom thou art indebted, and who comes for the payment of a just debt; or to any poor and indigent person that applies for alms:

go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; go home, and come tomorrow, and I will pay thee what I owe thee; or do not trouble me now, come another time, and perhaps I may relieve thy wants: this should not be said, because a man cannot be sure of tomorrow that he shall ever see it; nor may it be in the power of his hands, should he live unto the morrow, to do as he promises; his substance may be taken from him; and besides, in the mean time, the poor object may perish for want of relief;

when thou hast it by thee; money to pay thy debts with, or to give alms to the poor; and therefore should give readily and at once, and not make any excuses and delays; "bis dat, qui cito dat". Some make this to be part of the covetous man's words, saying, "and there is with thee"; or thou hast enough, thou hast no need to ask of me; thou hast what thou askest; thou art not in want; thou art richer than I; but the other sense is best. The Septuagint and Arabic versions add,

"for thou knowest not what the day following may bring forth;''

or may happen on it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A marked change in style. The continuous exhortation is replaced by a series of maxims.

From them to whom it is due - literally, as in the margin. The precept expresses the great Scriptural thought that the so-called possession of wealth is but a stewardship; that the true owners of what we call our own are those to whom, with it, we may do good. Not to relieve them is a breach of trust.

Proverbs 3:28

Procrastination is especially fatal to the giving impulse. The Septuagint adds the caution: “for thou knowest not what the morrow will bring forth.”

Proverbs 3:29

Securely - i. e., “With full trust,” without care or suspicion. Compare Judges 18:7, Judges 18:27.

Proverbs 3:31

A protest against the tendency to worship success, to think the lot of the “man of violence” enviable, and therefore to be chosen.

Proverbs 3:32

The true nature of such success. That which people admire is an abomination to Yahweh. His “secret,” i. e., His close, intimate communion as of “friend with friend,” is with the righteous.

Proverbs 3:33

The thought, like that which appears in Zechariah 5:3-4, and pervades the tragedies of Greek drama, is of a curse, an Ate, dwelling in a house from generation to generation, the source of ever-recurring woes. There is, possibly, a contrast between the “house” or “palace” of the rich oppressor and the lowly shepherd’s hut, the “sheep-cote” 2 Samuel 7:8 ennobled only by its upright inhabitants.

Proverbs 3:34

Surely - Better, If he scorneth the scorners, i. e., Divine scorn of evil is the complement, and, as it were, the condition, of divine bounty to the lowly (compare the marginal reference and the Proverbs 1:26 note).

Proverbs 3:35

The margin conveys the thought that “fools” glory in that which is indeed their shame. Others take the clause as meaning “every fool takes up shame,” i. e., gains nothing but that.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 3:28. Say not unto thy neighbour — Do not refuse a kindness when it is in thy power to perform it. If thou have the means by thee, and thy neighbour's necessities be pressing, do not put him off till the morrow. Death may take either him or thee before that time.