King James Version

Proverbs 17:23

A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.

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Hebrew

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שֹׁ֣חַדshochadbribeשַׁחַדnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “bribe”, the ordinary formH7810a donation (venal or redemptive)bribe(-ry), gift, present, reward.מֵ֭חֵיקmecheyqfrom bosomחֵיקpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “from bosom”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH2436the bosom (literally or figuratively)bosom, bottom, lap, midst, within.רָשָׁ֣עrashaguiltyרָשָׁעadjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “guilty”, the ordinary formH7563morally wrong; concretely, an (actively) bad person[phrase] condemned, guilty, ungodly, wicked (man), that did wrong.יִקָּ֑חyiqachtakeלָקַחverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “take”, an unfinished actionH3947to take (in the widest variety of applications)accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, [idiom] many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.לְ֝הַטּ֗וֹתlehatotto spreadנָטָהpreposition, verb, hiphil, infinitive construct — “to spread”, the to-form of the verbH5186to stretch or spread out; by implication, to bend away (including moral deflection); used in a great variety of application[phrase] afternoon, apply, bow (down, -ing), carry aside, decline, deliver, extend, go down, be gone, incline, intend, lay, let down, offer, outstretched, overthrown, pervert, pitch, prolong, put away, shew, spread (out), stretch (forth, o…אָרְח֥וֹתarechotmannerאֹרַחnoun, common, both genders, plural, construct — “manner”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH734a well-trodden road (literally or figuratively); also a caravanmanner, path, race, rank, traveller, troop, (by-, high-) way.מִשְׁפָּֽטmishpatlawמִשְׁפָּטnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “law”, the ordinary formH4941properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstractly, justice, including a participant's right or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style[phrase] adversary, ceremony, charge, [idiom] crime, custom, desert, determination, discretion, disposing, due, fashion, form, to be judged, judgment, just(-ice, -ly), (manner of) law(-ful), manner, measure, (due) order, ordinance, right,…

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom, to pervert the ways of justice.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

A wicked man receiveth a bribe out of the bosom, To pervert the ways of justice.

Young’s Literal Translation

A bribe from the bosom the wicked taketh, To turn aside the paths of judgment.

World English Bible

A wicked man receives a bribe in secret, to pervert the ways of justice.

Darby Translation

A wicked [man] taketh a gift out of the bosom, to pervert the paths of judgment.

Douay-Rheims

The wicked man taketh gifts out of the bosom, that he may pervert the paths of judgment.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom, to pervert the ways of justice.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

The ways of a man who unjustly receives gifts in his bosom do not prosper; and an ungodly man perverts the ways of righteousness.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Λαμβάνοντος δῶρα ἀδίκως ἐν κόλποις οὐ κατευοδοῦνται ὁδοὶ, ἀσεβὴς δὲ ἐκκλίνει ὁδοὺς δικαιοσύνης.