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Tuesday, April 29th, 2025
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Read the Bible
THE MESSAGE
Proverbs 18:5
It's not right to go easy on the guilty, or come down hard on the innocent.
Jump to:Bible Study Tools • Parallel Bible Verse • Bible Contextual Overview • Bible Cross-References • Gill's Bible Notes • Clarke's Bible Notes
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- CharlesEncyclopedias:
- InternationalParallel Translations
Christian Standard Bible®
It is not good to show partiality to the guilty,denying an innocent person justice.
It is not good to show partiality to the guilty,denying an innocent person justice.
Hebrew Names Version
To be partial to the faces of the wicked is not good, Nor to deprive the innocent of justice.
To be partial to the faces of the wicked is not good, Nor to deprive the innocent of justice.
King James Version
It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
English Standard Version
It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice.
It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice.
New American Standard Bible
To show partiality to the wicked is not good, Nor to suppress the righteous in judgment.
To show partiality to the wicked is not good, Nor to suppress the righteous in judgment.
New Century Version
It is not good to honor the wicked or to be unfair to the innocent.
It is not good to honor the wicked or to be unfair to the innocent.
Amplified Bible
To show respect to the wicked person is not good, Nor to push aside and deprive the righteous of justice.
To show respect to the wicked person is not good, Nor to push aside and deprive the righteous of justice.
World English Bible
To be partial to the faces of the wicked is not good, Nor to deprive the innocent of justice.
To be partial to the faces of the wicked is not good, Nor to deprive the innocent of justice.
Geneva Bible (1587)
It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to cause ye righteous to fall in iudgement.
It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to cause ye righteous to fall in iudgement.
Legacy Standard Bible
To show partiality to the wicked is not good,Nor to thrust aside the righteous in judgment.
To show partiality to the wicked is not good,Nor to thrust aside the righteous in judgment.
Berean Standard Bible
Showing partiality to the wicked is not good, nor is depriving the innocent of justice.
Showing partiality to the wicked is not good, nor is depriving the innocent of justice.
Contemporary English Version
It's wrong to favor the guilty and keep the innocent from getting justice.
It's wrong to favor the guilty and keep the innocent from getting justice.
Complete Jewish Bible
It is not good to be partial to the guilty and thus deprive the innocent of justice.
It is not good to be partial to the guilty and thus deprive the innocent of justice.
Darby Translation
It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to wrong the righteous in judgment.
It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to wrong the righteous in judgment.
Easy-to-Read Version
You must be fair in judging others. It is wrong to favor the guilty and rob the innocent of justice.
You must be fair in judging others. It is wrong to favor the guilty and rob the innocent of justice.
George Lamsa Translation
It is not good to respect the person of the wicked, nor to pervert justice against the righteous.
It is not good to respect the person of the wicked, nor to pervert justice against the righteous.
Good News Translation
It is not right to favor the guilty and keep the innocent from receiving justice.
It is not right to favor the guilty and keep the innocent from receiving justice.
Lexham English Bible
Being partial to faces of evil is not good, nor to subvert the righteous at the judgment.
Being partial to faces of evil is not good, nor to subvert the righteous at the judgment.
Literal Translation
To lift up the face of the wicked is not good, nor to turn aside the righteous in judgment.
To lift up the face of the wicked is not good, nor to turn aside the righteous in judgment.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
It is not good to regarde ye personne of the vngodly, or to put backe ye righteous in iudgmet.
It is not good to regarde ye personne of the vngodly, or to put backe ye righteous in iudgmet.
American Standard Version
To respect the person of the wicked is not good, Nor to turn aside the righteous in judgment.
To respect the person of the wicked is not good, Nor to turn aside the righteous in judgment.
Bible in Basic English
To have respect for the person of the evil-doer is not good, or to give a wrong decision against the upright.
To have respect for the person of the evil-doer is not good, or to give a wrong decision against the upright.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
It is not good to respect the person of the wicked, so as to turn aside the righteous in judgment.
It is not good to respect the person of the wicked, so as to turn aside the righteous in judgment.
King James Version (1611)
It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to ouerthrowe the righteous in iudgement.
It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to ouerthrowe the righteous in iudgement.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
It is not good to regarde the person of the vngodly, to ouerthrowe the righteous in iudgement.
It is not good to regarde the person of the vngodly, to ouerthrowe the righteous in iudgement.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
It is not good to accept the person of the ungodly, nor is it holy to pervert justice in judgment.
It is not good to accept the person of the ungodly, nor is it holy to pervert justice in judgment.
English Revised Version
To accept the person of the wicked is not good, nor to turn aside the righteous in judgment.
To accept the person of the wicked is not good, nor to turn aside the righteous in judgment.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
It is not good to take the persoone of a wickid man in doom, that thou bowe awei fro the treuthe of dom.
It is not good to take the persoone of a wickid man in doom, that thou bowe awei fro the treuthe of dom.
Update Bible Version
To respect the person of the wicked is not good, [Nor] to turn aside the righteous in judgment.
To respect the person of the wicked is not good, [Nor] to turn aside the righteous in judgment.
Webster's Bible Translation
[It is] not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
[It is] not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
New English Translation
It is terrible to show partiality to the wicked, by depriving a righteous man of justice.
It is terrible to show partiality to the wicked, by depriving a righteous man of justice.
New King James Version
It is not good to show partiality to the wicked, Or to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
It is not good to show partiality to the wicked, Or to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
New Living Translation
It is not right to acquit the guilty or deny justice to the innocent.
It is not right to acquit the guilty or deny justice to the innocent.
New Life Bible
It is not good to favor the sinful, or to keep what is fair from one who is right with God.
It is not good to favor the sinful, or to keep what is fair from one who is right with God.
New Revised Standard
It is not right to be partial to the guilty, or to subvert the innocent in judgment.
It is not right to be partial to the guilty, or to subvert the innocent in judgment.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
To prefer a lawless man, is not good, thrusting away the righteous, in judgment.
To prefer a lawless man, is not good, thrusting away the righteous, in judgment.
Douay-Rheims Bible
It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to decline from the truth of judgment.
It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to decline from the truth of judgment.
Revised Standard Version
It is not good to be partial to a wicked man, or to deprive a righteous man of justice.
It is not good to be partial to a wicked man, or to deprive a righteous man of justice.
Young's Literal Translation
Acceptance of the face of the wicked [is] not good, To turn aside the righteous in judgment.
Acceptance of the face of the wicked [is] not good, To turn aside the righteous in judgment.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
To show partiality to the wicked is not good, Nor to thrust aside the righteous in judgment.
To show partiality to the wicked is not good, Nor to thrust aside the righteous in judgment.
Contextual Overview
5 It's not right to go easy on the guilty, or come down hard on the innocent.
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
not: Proverbs 24:23, Proverbs 28:21, Leviticus 19:15, Deuteronomy 1:16, Deuteronomy 1:17, Deuteronomy 16:19, Job 13:7, Job 13:8, Job 34:19, Matthew 22:16
to overthrow: 1 Kings 21:9-14, Isaiah 5:23, Isaiah 59:14, Micah 7:3
Reciprocal: Genesis 4:7 - If thou doest well Nehemiah 5:9 - It is not Psalms 82:2 - accept Psalms 140:4 - overthrow Proverbs 17:26 - to punish 1 Timothy 5:21 - without preferring
Cross-References
Genesis 33:10
Jacob said, "Please. If you can find it in your heart to welcome me, accept these gifts. When I saw your face, it was as the face of God smiling on me. Accept the gifts I have brought for you. God has been good to me and I have more than enough." Jacob urged the gifts on him and Esau accepted.
Jacob said, "Please. If you can find it in your heart to welcome me, accept these gifts. When I saw your face, it was as the face of God smiling on me. Accept the gifts I have brought for you. God has been good to me and I have more than enough." Jacob urged the gifts on him and Esau accepted.
Judges 13:15
Manoah said to the angel of God, "Please, stay with us a little longer; we'll prepare a meal for you—a young goat."
Manoah said to the angel of God, "Please, stay with us a little longer; we'll prepare a meal for you—a young goat."
Judges 19:5
On the fourth day, they got up at the crack of dawn and got ready to go. But the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "Strengthen yourself with a hearty breakfast and then you can go." So they sat down and ate breakfast together. The girl's father said to the man, "Come now, be my guest. Stay the night—make it a holiday." The man got up to go, but his father-in-law kept after him, so he ended up spending another night. On the fifth day, he was again up early, ready to go. The girl's father said, "You need some breakfast." They went back and forth, and the day slipped on as they ate and drank together. But the man and his concubine were finally ready to go. Then his father-in-law, the girl's father, said, "Look, the day's almost gone—why not stay the night? There's very little daylight left; stay another night and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow you can get an early start and set off for your own place." But this time the man wasn't willing to spend another night. He got things ready, left, and went as far as Jebus (Jerusalem) with his pair of saddled donkeys, his concubine, and his servant. At Jebus, though, the day was nearly gone. The servant said to his master, "It's late; let's go into this Jebusite city and spend the night." But his master said, "We're not going into any city of foreigners. We'll go on to Gibeah." He directed his servant, "Keep going. Let's go on ahead. We'll spend the night either at Gibeah or Ramah." So they kept going. As they pressed on, the sun finally left them in the vicinity of Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. They left the road there to spend the night at Gibeah. The Levite went and sat down in the town square, but no one invited them in to spend the night. Then, late in the evening, an old man came in from his day's work in the fields. He was from the hill country of Ephraim and lived temporarily in Gibeah where all the local citizens were Benjaminites. When the old man looked up and saw the traveler in the town square, he said, "Where are you going? And where are you from?" The Levite said, "We're just passing through. We're coming from Bethlehem on our way to a remote spot in the hills of Ephraim. I come from there. I've just made a trip to Bethlehem in Judah and I'm on my way back home, but no one has invited us in for the night. We wouldn't be any trouble: We have food and straw for the donkeys, and bread and wine for the woman, the young man, and me—we don't need anything." The old man said, "It's going to be all right; I'll take care of you. You aren't going to spend the night in the town square." He took them home and fed the donkeys. They washed up and sat down to a good meal. They were relaxed and enjoying themselves when the men of the city, a gang of local hell-raisers all, surrounded the house and started pounding on the door. They yelled for the owner of the house, the old man, "Bring out the man who came to your house. We want to have sex with him." He went out and told them, "No, brothers! Don't be obscene—this man is my guest. Don't commit this outrage. Look, my virgin daughter and his concubine are here. I'll bring them out for you. Abuse them if you must, but don't do anything so senselessly vile to this man." But the men wouldn't listen to him. Finally, the Levite pushed his concubine out the door to them. They raped her repeatedly all night long. Just before dawn they let her go. The woman came back and fell at the door of the house where her master was sleeping. When the sun rose, there she was. It was morning. Her master got up and opened the door to continue his journey. There she was, his concubine, crumpled in a heap at the door, her hands on the threshold. "Get up," he said. "Let's get going." There was no answer. He lifted her onto his donkey and set out for home. When he got home he took a knife and dismembered his concubine—cut her into twelve pieces. He sent her, piece by piece, throughout the country of Israel. And he ordered the men he sent out, "Say to every man in Israel: ‘Has such a thing as this ever happened from the time the Israelites came up from the land of Egypt until now? Think about it! Talk it over. Do something!'"
On the fourth day, they got up at the crack of dawn and got ready to go. But the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "Strengthen yourself with a hearty breakfast and then you can go." So they sat down and ate breakfast together. The girl's father said to the man, "Come now, be my guest. Stay the night—make it a holiday." The man got up to go, but his father-in-law kept after him, so he ended up spending another night. On the fifth day, he was again up early, ready to go. The girl's father said, "You need some breakfast." They went back and forth, and the day slipped on as they ate and drank together. But the man and his concubine were finally ready to go. Then his father-in-law, the girl's father, said, "Look, the day's almost gone—why not stay the night? There's very little daylight left; stay another night and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow you can get an early start and set off for your own place." But this time the man wasn't willing to spend another night. He got things ready, left, and went as far as Jebus (Jerusalem) with his pair of saddled donkeys, his concubine, and his servant. At Jebus, though, the day was nearly gone. The servant said to his master, "It's late; let's go into this Jebusite city and spend the night." But his master said, "We're not going into any city of foreigners. We'll go on to Gibeah." He directed his servant, "Keep going. Let's go on ahead. We'll spend the night either at Gibeah or Ramah." So they kept going. As they pressed on, the sun finally left them in the vicinity of Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. They left the road there to spend the night at Gibeah. The Levite went and sat down in the town square, but no one invited them in to spend the night. Then, late in the evening, an old man came in from his day's work in the fields. He was from the hill country of Ephraim and lived temporarily in Gibeah where all the local citizens were Benjaminites. When the old man looked up and saw the traveler in the town square, he said, "Where are you going? And where are you from?" The Levite said, "We're just passing through. We're coming from Bethlehem on our way to a remote spot in the hills of Ephraim. I come from there. I've just made a trip to Bethlehem in Judah and I'm on my way back home, but no one has invited us in for the night. We wouldn't be any trouble: We have food and straw for the donkeys, and bread and wine for the woman, the young man, and me—we don't need anything." The old man said, "It's going to be all right; I'll take care of you. You aren't going to spend the night in the town square." He took them home and fed the donkeys. They washed up and sat down to a good meal. They were relaxed and enjoying themselves when the men of the city, a gang of local hell-raisers all, surrounded the house and started pounding on the door. They yelled for the owner of the house, the old man, "Bring out the man who came to your house. We want to have sex with him." He went out and told them, "No, brothers! Don't be obscene—this man is my guest. Don't commit this outrage. Look, my virgin daughter and his concubine are here. I'll bring them out for you. Abuse them if you must, but don't do anything so senselessly vile to this man." But the men wouldn't listen to him. Finally, the Levite pushed his concubine out the door to them. They raped her repeatedly all night long. Just before dawn they let her go. The woman came back and fell at the door of the house where her master was sleeping. When the sun rose, there she was. It was morning. Her master got up and opened the door to continue his journey. There she was, his concubine, crumpled in a heap at the door, her hands on the threshold. "Get up," he said. "Let's get going." There was no answer. He lifted her onto his donkey and set out for home. When he got home he took a knife and dismembered his concubine—cut her into twelve pieces. He sent her, piece by piece, throughout the country of Israel. And he ordered the men he sent out, "Say to every man in Israel: ‘Has such a thing as this ever happened from the time the Israelites came up from the land of Egypt until now? Think about it! Talk it over. Do something!'"
Psalms 104:15
class="poetry"> O my soul, bless God ! God , my God, how great you are! beautifully, gloriously robed, Dressed up in sunshine, and all heaven stretched out for your tent. You built your palace on the ocean deeps, made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings. You commandeered winds as messengers, appointed fire and flame as ambassadors. You set earth on a firm foundation so that nothing can shake it, ever. You blanketed earth with ocean, covered the mountains with deep waters; Then you roared and the water ran away— your thunder crash put it to flight. Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out in the places you assigned them. You set boundaries between earth and sea; never again will earth be flooded. You started the springs and rivers, sent them flowing among the hills. All the wild animals now drink their fill, wild donkeys quench their thirst. Along the riverbanks the birds build nests, ravens make their voices heard. You water the mountains from your heavenly cisterns; earth is supplied with plenty of water. You make grass grow for the livestock, hay for the animals that plow the ground. Oh yes, God brings grain from the land, wine to make people happy, Their faces glowing with health, a people well-fed and hearty. God 's trees are well-watered— the Lebanon cedars he planted. Birds build their nests in those trees; look—the stork at home in the treetop. Mountain goats climb about the cliffs; badgers burrow among the rocks. The moon keeps track of the seasons, the sun is in charge of each day. When it's dark and night takes over, all the forest creatures come out. The young lions roar for their prey, clamoring to God for their supper. When the sun comes up, they vanish, lazily stretched out in their dens. Meanwhile, men and women go out to work, busy at their jobs until evening. What a wildly wonderful world, God ! You made it all, with Wisdom at your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations. Oh, look—the deep, wide sea, brimming with fish past counting, sardines and sharks and salmon. Ships plow those waters, and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them. All the creatures look expectantly to you to give them their meals on time. You come, and they gather around; you open your hand and they eat from it. If you turned your back, they'd die in a minute— Take back your Spirit and they die, revert to original mud; Send out your Spirit and they spring to life— the whole countryside in bloom and blossom. The glory of God —let it last forever! Let God enjoy his creation! He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake, points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt. Oh, let me sing to God all my life long, sing hymns to my God as long as I live! Oh, let my song please him; I'm so pleased to be singing to God . But clear the ground of sinners— no more godless men and women! O my soul, bless God !
class="poetry"> O my soul, bless God ! God , my God, how great you are! beautifully, gloriously robed, Dressed up in sunshine, and all heaven stretched out for your tent. You built your palace on the ocean deeps, made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings. You commandeered winds as messengers, appointed fire and flame as ambassadors. You set earth on a firm foundation so that nothing can shake it, ever. You blanketed earth with ocean, covered the mountains with deep waters; Then you roared and the water ran away— your thunder crash put it to flight. Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out in the places you assigned them. You set boundaries between earth and sea; never again will earth be flooded. You started the springs and rivers, sent them flowing among the hills. All the wild animals now drink their fill, wild donkeys quench their thirst. Along the riverbanks the birds build nests, ravens make their voices heard. You water the mountains from your heavenly cisterns; earth is supplied with plenty of water. You make grass grow for the livestock, hay for the animals that plow the ground. Oh yes, God brings grain from the land, wine to make people happy, Their faces glowing with health, a people well-fed and hearty. God 's trees are well-watered— the Lebanon cedars he planted. Birds build their nests in those trees; look—the stork at home in the treetop. Mountain goats climb about the cliffs; badgers burrow among the rocks. The moon keeps track of the seasons, the sun is in charge of each day. When it's dark and night takes over, all the forest creatures come out. The young lions roar for their prey, clamoring to God for their supper. When the sun comes up, they vanish, lazily stretched out in their dens. Meanwhile, men and women go out to work, busy at their jobs until evening. What a wildly wonderful world, God ! You made it all, with Wisdom at your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations. Oh, look—the deep, wide sea, brimming with fish past counting, sardines and sharks and salmon. Ships plow those waters, and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them. All the creatures look expectantly to you to give them their meals on time. You come, and they gather around; you open your hand and they eat from it. If you turned your back, they'd die in a minute— Take back your Spirit and they die, revert to original mud; Send out your Spirit and they spring to life— the whole countryside in bloom and blossom. The glory of God —let it last forever! Let God enjoy his creation! He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake, points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt. Oh, let me sing to God all my life long, sing hymns to my God as long as I live! Oh, let my song please him; I'm so pleased to be singing to God . But clear the ground of sinners— no more godless men and women! O my soul, bless God !
Isaiah 3:1
The Master, God -of-the-Angel-Armies, is emptying Jerusalem and Judah Of all the basic necessities, plain bread and water to begin with. He's withdrawing police and protection, judges and courts, pastors and teachers, captains and generals, doctors and nurses, and, yes, even the repairmen and jacks-of-all-trades. He says, "I'll put little kids in charge of the city. Schoolboys and schoolgirls will order everyone around. People will be at each other's throats, stabbing one another in the back: Neighbor against neighbor, young against old, the no-account against the well-respected. One brother will grab another and say, ‘You look like you've got a head on your shoulders. Do something! Get us out of this mess.' And he'll say, ‘Me? Not me! I don't have a clue. Don't put me in charge of anything.'
The Master, God -of-the-Angel-Armies, is emptying Jerusalem and Judah Of all the basic necessities, plain bread and water to begin with. He's withdrawing police and protection, judges and courts, pastors and teachers, captains and generals, doctors and nurses, and, yes, even the repairmen and jacks-of-all-trades. He says, "I'll put little kids in charge of the city. Schoolboys and schoolgirls will order everyone around. People will be at each other's throats, stabbing one another in the back: Neighbor against neighbor, young against old, the no-account against the well-respected. One brother will grab another and say, ‘You look like you've got a head on your shoulders. Do something! Get us out of this mess.' And he'll say, ‘Me? Not me! I don't have a clue. Don't put me in charge of anything.'
Gill's Notes on the Bible
[It is] not good to accept the person of the wicked,.... For a judge to have respect to a wicked man in a cause before him, and to favour him, because he is a rich man, or a relation, or he has received some kindness from him; none of these things should have any influence upon him
to overthrow the righteous in judgment: though he may be a poor man and a stranger, and to whom the judge is under no private and personal obligation; yet justice ought to be done without any respect to persons; to do otherwise is not only not good, but very bad, very sinful and criminal; it is contrary to law and justice; it is doing injury to men, and is repugnant to the will of God, and offensive to him, Leviticus 19:15.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Proverbs 18:5. To accept the person of the wicked — We must not, in judicial cases, pay any attention to a man's riches, influence, friends, offices, &c., but judge the case according to its own merits. But when the wicked rich man opposes and oppresses the poor righteous, then all those things should be utterly forgotten.
