King James Version

Proverbs 25:26

A righteous man falling down before the wicked is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring.

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Hebrew

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מַעְיָ֣ןmayanfountainמַעְיָןnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “fountain”, the ordinary formH4599a fountain (also collectively), figuratively, a source (of satisfaction)fountain, spring, well.נִ֭רְפָּשׂnirpasfoulרָפַשׂverb, niphal, participle, absolute — “foul”, a verb used as a describing wordH7515to trample, i.e. roil waterfoul, trouble.וּמָק֣וֹרumaqorand fountainמָקוֹרconjunction, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “and fountain”, the ordinary formH4726properly, something dug, i.e. a (general) source (of water, even when naturally flowing; also of tears, blood (by euphemism, of the female pudenda); figuratively, of happiness, wisdom, progeny)fountain, issue, spring, well(-spring).מָשְׁחָ֑תmashechatbatterשָׁחַתverb, hophal, passive participle, absolute — “batter”, a verb used as a describing wordH7843to decay, i.e. (causatively) ruin (literally or figuratively)batter, cast off, corrupt(-er, thing), destroy(-er, -uction), lose, mar, perish, spill, spoiler, [idiom] utterly, waste(-r).צַ֝דִּ֗יקtsadiqjustצַדִּיקadjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “just”, the ordinary formH6662justjust, lawful, righteous (man).מָ֣טmatfallמוֹטverb, qal, participle, absolute — “fall”, a verb used as a describing wordH4131to waver; by implication, to slip, shake, fallbe carried, cast, be out of course, be fallen in decay, [idiom] exceedingly, fall(-ing down), be (re-) moved, be ready, shake, slide, slip.לִפְנֵֽיlifneto a- foreפָּנִיםpreposition, noun, common, both genders, plural, construct — “to a- fore”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH6440the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.)[phrase] accept, a-(be-) fore(-time), against, anger, [idiom] as (long as), at, [phrase] battle, [phrase] because (of), [phrase] beseech, countenance, edge, [phrase] employ, endure, [phrase] enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-…רָשָֽׁעrashaguiltyרָשָׁעadjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “guilty”, the ordinary formH7563morally wrong; concretely, an (actively) bad person[phrase] condemned, guilty, ungodly, wicked (man), that did wrong.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

As a troubled fountain, and a corrupted spring, so is a righteous man that giveth way before the wicked.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

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

American Standard Version (1901)

As a troubled fountain, and a corrupted spring, So is a righteous man that giveth way before the wicked.

Young’s Literal Translation

A spring troubled, and a fountain corrupt, [Is] the righteous falling before the wicked.

World English Bible

Like a muddied spring and a polluted well, so is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.

Darby Translation

A troubled fountain, and a defiled well, is a righteous [man] that giveth way before the wicked.

Douay-Rheims

A just man falling down before the wicked, is as a fountain troubled with the foot, and a corrupted spring.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

As a troubled fountain, and a corrupted spring, so is a righteous man that giveth way before the wicked.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

As if one should stop a well, and corrupt a spring of water, so is it unseemly for a righteous man to fall before an ungodly man.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ὥσπερ εἴ τις πηγὴν φράσσοι καὶ ὕδατος ἔξοδον λυμαίνοιτο, οὕτως ἄκοσμον δίκαιον πεπτωκέναι ἐνώπιον ἀσεβοῦς.