Proverbs 17:4

King James Version

A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
A wicked person listens to malicious talk;a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

Hebrew Names Version
An evil-doer gives heed to wicked lips. A liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

English Standard Version
An evildoer listens to wicked lips, and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

New American Standard Bible
An evildoer listens to wicked lips; A liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

New Century Version
Evil people listen to evil words. Liars pay attention to cruel words.

Amplified Bible
An evildoer listens closely to wicked lips; And a liar pays attention to a destructive and malicious tongue.

World English Bible
An evil-doer gives heed to wicked lips. A liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

Geneva Bible (1587)
The wicked giueth heed to false lippes, and a lyer hearkeneth to the naughtie tongue.

Legacy Standard Bible
An evildoer gives heed to lips of wickedness;A liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.

Berean Standard Bible
A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.

Contemporary English Version
Troublemakers listen to troublemakers, and liars listen to liars.

Complete Jewish Bible
An evildoer heeds wicked lips; a liar listens to destructive talk.

Darby Translation
The evil-doer giveth heed to iniquitous lips; the liar giveth ear to a mischievous tongue.

Easy-to-Read Version
People who do evil listen to evil ideas. Liars listen to liars.

George Lamsa Translation
A wicked man listens to perverse lips; but a righteous man does not heed the tongues of vicious men.

Good News Translation
Evil people listen to evil ideas, and liars listen to lies.

Lexham English Bible
He who does evil listens to lips of wickedness, and the liar gives heed to the tongue of mischief.

Literal Translation
An evildoer gives heed to lips of iniquity; a liar listens to a tongue of evil desire.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
A wicked body holdeth moch of false lippes, & a dyssemblynge persone geueth eare to a disceatfull toge.

American Standard Version
An evil-doer giveth heed to wicked lips; And a liar giveth ear to a mischievous tongue.

Bible in Basic English
A wrongdoer gives attention to evil lips, and a man of deceit gives ear to a damaging tongue.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
A evil-doer giveth heed to wicked lips; and a liar giveth ear to a mischievous tongue.

King James Version (1611)
A wicked doer giueth heed to false lips: and a liar giueth eare to a naughtie tongue.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
A wicked body geueth heede to false lippes, and a lyer geueth eare to a deceiptfull tongue.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
A bad man hearkens to the tongue of transgressors: but a righteous man attends not to false lips.

English Revised Version
An evil-doer giveth heed to wicked lips; and a liar giveth ear to a mischievous tongue.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
An yuel man obeieth to a wickid tunge; and a fals man obeieth to false lippis.

Update Bible Version
An evil-doer gives heed to wicked lips; [And] a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

Webster's Bible Translation
A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips: [and] a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.

New English Translation
One who acts wickedly pays attention to evil counsel; a liar listens to a malicious tongue.

New King James Version
An evildoer gives heed to false lips; A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue.

New Living Translation
Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip; liars pay close attention to slander.

New Life Bible
A wrong-doer listens to sinful lips. A liar listens to a tongue that destroys.

New Revised Standard
An evildoer listens to wicked lips; and a liar gives heed to a mischievous tongue.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Discord, giveth heed to the aggrieving lip, - Falsehood, giveth ear to the destroying tongue.

Douay-Rheims Bible
The evil man obeyeth an unjust tongue: and the deceitful hearkeneth to lying lips.

Revised Standard Version
An evildoer listens to wicked lips; and a liar gives heed to a mischievous tongue.

Young's Literal Translation
An evil doer is attentive to lips of vanity, Falsehood is giving ear to a mischievous tongue.

THE MESSAGE
Evil people relish malicious conversation; the ears of liars itch for dirty gossip.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
An evildoer listens to wicked lips; A liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

Contextual Overview

⁴ A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Proverbs 28:4, 1 Samuel 22:7-11, 1 Kings 22:6-28, Isaiah 30:10, Jeremiah 5:31, 2 Timothy 4:3, 2 Timothy 4:4, 1 John 4:5, Revelation 13:3-8

Reciprocal: Exodus 23:1 - shalt not 1 Samuel 24:9 - General Proverbs 6:12 - naughty

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Genesis 13:16
And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

Genesis 16:10
And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

Genesis 17:1
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Genesis 17:11
And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

Genesis 17:18
And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

Genesis 22:17
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

Genesis 32:12
And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

Genesis 35:11
And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

Genesis 48:19
And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips,.... A man of an ill spirit, of a mischievous disposition, that delights in doing wickedness; he carefully attends to such as speak falsehood; he listens to lies and calumnies, loves to hear ill reports of persons, and takes pleasure in spreading them to the hurt of their characters; and men of bad hearts and lives give heed to seducing spirits, to false teachers, to inch as speak lies in hypocrisy, who sooth and harden them in their wickedness;

[and] a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue: or, "to a tongue of destruction" a; a culumniating, backbiting tongue, which destroys the good name and reputation of men; and he that is given to lying is made up of lying, or is a lie itself, as the word signifies; who roves and makes a lie, as antichrist and his followers; such an one hearkens diligently to everything that may detract from the character of those especially he bears an ill will to: or it may be better rendered, "he that hearkens to a lie [gives heed] to a naughty tongue" b; for a lying tongue is a naughty one, evil in itself, pernicious in its effects and consequences.

a על לשון הות "perniciosae linguae", Tigurine version; "linguae confractionum calamitatum, injuriarum", Vatablus; "ad linguam exiliorum", Michaelis. b So Michaelis.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The two clauses describe two phases of the mutual affinities of evil. The evil-doer delights in lies, the liar in bad words.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 17:4. A wicked doer giveth heed — An evil heart is disposed and ever ready to receive evil; and liars delight in lies.