King James Version

Proverbs 9:12

If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.

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Hebrew

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אִםimoh thatאִםconjunction — “oh that”H518used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also Oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not(and, can-, doubtless, if, that) (not), [phrase] but, either, [phrase] except, [phrase] more(-over if, than), neither, nevertheless, nor, oh that, or, [phrase] save (only, -ing), seeing, since, sith, [phrase] surely (no more, none, not), t…חָ֭כַמְתָּchakhamtabe wiseחָכַםverb, qal, perfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “be wise”, a completed actionH2449to be wise (in mind, word or act)[idiom] exceeding, teach wisdom, be (make self, shew self) wise, deal (never so) wisely, make wiser.חָכַ֣מְתָּchakhamtabe wiseחָכַםverb, qal, perfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “be wise”, a completed actionH2449to be wise (in mind, word or act)[idiom] exceeding, teach wisdom, be (make self, shew self) wise, deal (never so) wisely, make wiser.לָּ֑ךְlakhetoלָּ֑ךְpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, feminine, singular — “to”toוְ֝לַ֗צְתָּvelatstaand make a mockלוּץconjunction, verb, qal, perfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “and make a mock”, a completed actionH3887properly, to make mouths at, i.e. to scoff; hence (from the effort to pronounce a foreign language) to interpret, or (generally) intercedeambassador, have in derision, interpreter, make a mock, mocker, scorn(-er, -ful), teacher.לְֽבַדְּךָ֥levadkhato apartבַּדpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “to apart”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH905properly, separation; by implication, a part of the body, branch of atree, bar forcarrying; figuratively, chief of a city; especially (with prepositional prefix) as an adverb, apart, only, besidesalone, apart, bar, besides, branch, by self, of each alike, except, only, part, staff, strength.תִשָּֽׂאtisalift upנָשָׂאverb, qal, imperfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “lift up”, an unfinished actionH5375to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relativeaccept, advance, arise, (able to, (armor), suffer to) bear(-er, up), bring (forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease, exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further, give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable…

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

If thou art wise, thou art wise for thyself; and if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.'

Compare Public-Domain Translations

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

American Standard Version (1901)

If thou art wise, thou art wise for thyself; And if thou scoffest, thou alone shalt bear it.

Young’s Literal Translation

If thou hast been wise, thou hast been wise for thyself, And thou hast scorned — thyself bearest [it].

World English Bible

If you are wise, you are wise for yourself. If you mock, you alone will bear it.

Darby Translation

If thou art wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself; and if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.

Douay-Rheims

If thou be wise, thou shalt be so to thyself: and if a scorner, thou alone shalt bear the evil.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

If thou art wise, thou art wise for thyself; and if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.'

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Son, if thou be wise for thyself, thou shalt also be wise for thy neighbours; and if thou shouldest prove wicked, thou alone wilt bear the evil. a He that stays himself upon falsehoods, attempts to rule the winds, and the same will pursue birds in their flight: b for he has forsaken the ways of his own vineyard, and he has caused the axles of his own husbandry to go astray; c and he goes through a dry desert, and a land appointed to drought, and he gathers barrenness with his hands.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Υἱὲ ἐὰν σοφὸς γένῃ σεαυτῷ, σοφὸς ἔσῃ καὶ τοῖς πλησίον· ἐὰν δὲ κακὸς ἀποβῇς, μόνος ἂν ἀντλήσεις κακά· a ὃς ἐρείδεται ἐπὶ ψεύδεσιν, οὗτος ποιμαίνει ἀνέμους, ὁ δʼ αὐτὸς διώξεται ὄρνεα πετόμενα· b ἀπέλιπε γὰρ ὁδοὺς τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ ἀμπελῶνος, τοὺς δὲ ἄξονας τοῦ ἰδίου γεωργίου πεπλάνηται· c διαπορεύεται δὲ διʼ ἀνύδρου ἐρήμου, καὶ γῆν διατεταγμένην ἐν διψώδεσι, συνάγει δὲ χερσὶν ἀκαρπίαν.