King James Version

Proverbs 9:17

Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.

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Hebrew

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מַֽיִםmayimwaterמַיִםnoun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “water”, the ordinary formH4325water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen[phrase] piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).גְּנוּבִ֥יםgenuvimcarry awayגָּנַבverb, qal, passive participle, absolute — “carry away”, a verb used as a describing wordH1589to thieve (literally or figuratively); by implication, to deceivecarry away, [idiom] indeed, secretly bring, steal (away), get by stealth.יִמְתָּ֑קוּyimtaqvbe sweetמָתַקverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “be sweet”, an unfinished actionH4985to suck, by implication, to relish, or (intransitively) be sweetbe (made, [idiom] take) sweet.וְלֶ֖חֶםvelechemand breadלֶחֶםconjunction, noun, common, both genders, singular, construct — “and bread”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3899food (for man or beast), especially bread, or grain (for making it)(shew-) bread, [idiom] eat, food, fruit, loaf, meat, victuals.סְתָרִ֣יםsetarimbackbitingסֵתֶרnoun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “backbiting”, the ordinary formH5643a cover (in a good or a bad, a literal or a figurative sense)backbiting, covering, covert, [idiom] disguise(-th), hiding place, privily, protection, secret(-ly, place).יִנְעָֽםyinambe delightנָעֵםverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “be delight”, an unfinished actionH5276to be agreeable (literally or figuratively)pass in beauty, be delight, be pleasant, be sweet.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

'Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.'

Compare Public-Domain Translations

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

American Standard Version (1901)

Stolen waters are sweet, And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.

Young’s Literal Translation

'Stolen waters are sweet, And hidden bread is pleasant.'

World English Bible

“Stolen water is sweet. Food eaten in secret is pleasant.”

Darby Translation

Stolen waters are sweet, and the bread of secrecy is pleasant.

Douay-Rheims

Stolen waters are sweeter, and hid den bread is more pleasant.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

'Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.'

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Take and enjoy secret bread, and the sweet water of theft.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

ἄρτων κρυφίων ἡδέως ἅψασθε, καὶ ὕδατος κλοπῆς γλυκεροῦ.