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Saturday, September 28th, 2024
the Week of Proper 20 / Ordinary 25
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Read the Bible

New Living Translation

Proverbs 29:4

A just king gives stability to his nation, but one who demands bribes destroys it.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Bribery;   King;   Rulers;   Thompson Chain Reference - Civic Righteousness;   Duty;   King;   Kings, Duties of;   Magistrates;   Nation;   Nation, the;   Righteousness;   Ruler's Duty;   Rulers;   Social Duties;   The Topic Concordance - Bribery;   Government;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Greek Versions of Ot;   Proverbs, Book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Gift;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Assi;   Judah I.;  

Parallel Translations

Legacy Standard Bible
By justice the king causes the land to stand,But a man of bribes tears it down.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The king gives stability to the land by justice, But a man who takes bribes overthrows it.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
With [true] iudgement the kyng stablissheth the lande: but yf he be a man that oppresse the people with gatherynges, he turneth it vpside downe.
Darby Translation
A king by just judgment establisheth the land; but he that taketh gifts overthroweth it.
New King James Version
The king establishes the land by justice, But he who receives bribes overthrows it.
Literal Translation
A king establishes a land by justice, but a man taking bribes tears it down.
Easy-to-Read Version
A nation will be strong when it has a fair and just king. A nation will be weak when it has a king who is selfish and demands gifts.
World English Bible
The king by justice makes the land stable, But he who takes bribes tears it down.
King James Version (1611)
The king by iudgement stablisheth the land: but he that receiueth gifts, ouerthroweth it.
King James Version
The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
With true iudgment ye kynge setteth vp the londe, but yf he be a man yt taketh giftes, he turneth it vpsyde downe.
THE MESSAGE
A leader of good judgment gives stability; an exploiting leader leaves a trail of waste.
Amplified Bible
The king establishes (stabilizes) the land by justice, But a man who takes bribes overthrows it.
American Standard Version
The king by justice establisheth the land; But he that exacteth gifts overthroweth it.
Bible in Basic English
A king, by right rule, makes the land safe; but one full of desires makes it a waste.
Update Bible Version
The king by justice establishes the land; But he that exacts gifts overthrows it.
Webster's Bible Translation
The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.
New English Translation
A king brings stability to a land by justice, but one who exacts tribute tears it down.
Contemporary English Version
An honest ruler makes the nation strong; a ruler who takes bribes will bring it to ruin.
Complete Jewish Bible
A king gives stability to a country by justice, but one who overtaxes it brings it to ruin.
Geneva Bible (1587)
A King by iudgement mainteineth ye countrey: but a man receiuing giftes, destroyeth it.
George Lamsa Translation
The king by justice enriches the land; but a wicked man causes it to be in want.
Hebrew Names Version
The king by justice makes the land stable, But he who takes bribes tears it down.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
The king by justice establisheth the land; but he that exacteth gifts overthroweth it.
New Life Bible
The king makes the land strong by doing what is right and fair, but the one who takes pay for doing wrong, destroys it.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Wrath is merciless, and anger sharp: but envy can bear nothing.
English Revised Version
The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that exacteth gifts overthroweth it.
Berean Standard Bible
By justice a king brings stability to the land, but a man who exacts tribute demolishes it.
New Revised Standard
By justice a king gives stability to the land, but one who makes heavy exactions ruins it.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
A king, by justice, shall establish a land, - but, a man open to bribes, bringeth it to ruin.
Douay-Rheims Bible
A just king setteth up the land: a covetous man shall destroy it.
Lexham English Bible
By justice a king gives stability to a land, but a man of bribes will ruin it.
English Standard Version
By justice a king builds up the land, but he who exacts gifts tears it down.
New American Standard Bible
The king gives stability to the land by justice, But a person who takes bribes ruins it.
New Century Version
If a king is fair, he makes his country strong, but if he takes gifts dishonestly, he tears his country down.
Good News Translation
When the king is concerned with justice, the nation will be strong, but when he is only concerned with money, he will ruin his country.
Christian Standard Bible®
By justice a king brings stability to a land, but a man who demands "contributions" demolishes it.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
A iust king reisith the lond; an auerouse man schal distrie it.
Revised Standard Version
By justice a king gives stability to the land, but one who exacts gifts ruins it.
Young's Literal Translation
A king by judgment establisheth a land, And one receiving gifts throweth it down.

Contextual Overview

4 A just king gives stability to his nation, but one who demands bribes destroys it.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

king: Proverbs 29:14, Proverbs 16:12, Proverbs 20:8, 1 Samuel 13:13, 2 Samuel 8:15, 1 Kings 2:12, Psalms 89:14, Psalms 99:4, Isaiah 9:7, Isaiah 49:8

he that receiveth gifts: Heb. a man of oblations, 2 Kings 15:18-20, Jeremiah 22:13-17, Daniel 11:20, Micah 7:3

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 16:1 - with a couple 1 Kings 2:46 - the kingdom Proverbs 15:27 - but Isaiah 33:6 - wisdom Jeremiah 22:15 - and do Acts 24:26 - hoped

Cross-References

Genesis 11:31
One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram's wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran's child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there.
Genesis 24:10
Then he loaded ten of Abraham's camels with all kinds of expensive gifts from his master, and he traveled to distant Aram-naharaim. There he went to the town where Abraham's brother Nahor had settled.
Genesis 27:43
So listen carefully, my son. Get ready and flee to my brother, Laban, in Haran.
Genesis 28:10
Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran.
Acts 7:2
This was Stephen's reply: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran.
Acts 7:4
So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran until his father died. Then God brought him here to the land where you now live.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The king by judgment establisheth the land,.... By executing, judgment and justice among his subjects, he establishes the laws of the land, and the government of it; he secures its peace and prosperity, and preserves his people in the possession at their properties and privileges; and makes them rich and powerful, and the state stable and flourishing, so that it continues firm to posterity; such a king was Solomon, 2 Chronicles 9:8;

but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it; that, is, a king that does so; Gersom observes that he is not called a king, because such a man is not worthy of the name, who takes gifts and is bribed by them to pervert judgment and justice; whereby the laws of the nation are violated, and the persons and properties of his subjects become the prey of wicked men; and so the state is subverted and falls to ruin: it is in the original text, "a man of oblations" k; the word is generally used of the sacred oblations or offerings under the law; hence some understand it of a sacrilegious prince who of his own arbitrary power converts sacred things to civil uses. The Targum, Septuagint, Syriac and Arabic versions render it, a wicked and ungodly man; and the Vulgate Latin version, a covetous man; as such a prince must be in whatsoever light he is seen, whether as a perverter of justice through bribes, or as a sacrilegious man; though it may be rendered, "a man of exactions" l, for it is used of the oblation of a prince which he receives from his people, Ezekiel 45:9; as Aben Ezra observes; and so it may be interpreted of a king that lays heavy taxes upon his people, and thereby brings them to distress and poverty, and the state to ruin.

k איש חרומות "vir oblationam", Montanus, Baynus, Grotius, Gejerus, Schultens. l "Vir exactionum", Mercerus; "qui levat exactiones", Munster; "qui tributa imponit", so some in Vatablus; "qui tribbuta extorquet", Tigurine version.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 29:4. He that receiveth gifts — This was notoriously the case in this kingdom, before the passing of the Magna Charta, or great charter of liberties. Hence that article in it, Nulli vendemus justitiam; "We will not sell justice to any." I have met with cases in our ancient records where, in order to get his right, a man was obliged almost to ruin himself in presents to the king, queen, and their favourites, to get the case decided in his favour.


 
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