King James Version

Proverbs 17:4

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

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Hebrew

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מֵ֭רַעmerabe worseרָעַעverb, hiphil, participle, absolute — “be worse”, a verb used as a describing wordH7489properly, to spoil (literally, by breaking to pieces); figuratively, to make (or be) good fornothing, i.e. bad (physically, socially or morally)afflict, associate selves (by mistake for H7462 (רָעָה)), break (down, in pieces), [phrase] displease, (be, bring, do) evil (doer, entreat, man), show self friendly (by mistake for H7462 (רָעָה)), do harm, (do) hurt, (behave self, deal) il…מַקְשִׁ֣יבmaqshivattendקָשַׁבverb, hiphil, participle, absolute — “attend”, a verb used as a describing wordH7181to prick up the ears, i.e. hearkenattend, (cause to) hear(-ken), give heed, incline, mark (well), regard.עַלalaboveעַלpreposition — “above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…שְׂפַתsefatlanguageשָׂפָהnoun, common, feminine, singular, construct — “language”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH8193the lip (as a natural boundary); by implication, language; by analogy, a margin (of a vessel, water, cloth, etc.)band, bank, binding, border, brim, brink, edge, language, lip, prating, (sea-)shore, side, speech, talk, (vain) words.אָ֑וֶןavenidolאָוֶןnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “idol”, the ordinary formH205strictly nothingness; also trouble. vanity, wickedness; specifically an idolaffliction, evil, false, idol, iniquity, mischief, mourners(-ing), naught, sorrow, unjust, unrighteous, vain, vanity, wicked(-ness). Compare H369 (אַיִן).שֶׁ֥קֶרsheqerwithout a causeשֶׁקֶרnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “without a cause”, the ordinary formH8267an untruth; by implication, a sham (often adverbial)without a cause, deceit(-ful), false(-hood, -ly), feignedly, liar, [phrase] lie, lying, vain (thing), wrongfully.מֵ֝זִיןmezingive earאָזַןverb, hiphil, participle, absolute — “give ear”, a verb used as a describing wordH238to broaden out the ear (with the hand), i.e. (by implication) to listengive (perceive by the) ear, hear(-ken). See H239 (אָזַן).עַלalaboveעַלpreposition — “above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…לְשׁ֥וֹןleshontongueלָשׁוֹןnoun, common, both genders, singular, construct — “tongue”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3956the tongue (of man or animals), used literally (as the instrument of licking, eating, or speech), and figuratively (speech, an ingot, a fork of flame, a cove of water)[phrase] babbler, bay, [phrase] evil speaker, language, talker, tongue, wedge.הַוֺּֽתhavotcalamityהַוָּהnoun, common, feminine, plural, absolute — “calamity”, the ordinary formH1942by implication, of falling); desire; also ruincalamity, iniquity, mischief, mischievous (thing), naughtiness, naughty, noisome, perverse thing, substance, very wickedness.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

A evil-doer giveth heed to wicked lips; and a liar giveth ear to a mischievous tongue.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

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

American Standard Version (1901)

An evil-doer giveth heed to wicked lips; And a liar giveth ear 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.

World English Bible

An evildoer heeds wicked lips. A liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

Darby Translation

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

Douay-Rheims

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

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

A evil-doer giveth heed to wicked lips; and a liar giveth ear to a mischievous tongue.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

A bad man hearkens to the tongue of transgressors: but a righteous man attends not to false lips.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Κακὸς ὑπακούει γλώσσης παρανόμων, δίκαιος δὲ οὐ προσέχει χείλεσι ψευδέσιν.