Proverbs 17:20
New International Version
One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.

New Living Translation
The crooked heart will not prosper; the lying tongue tumbles into trouble.

English Standard Version
A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.

Berean Standard Bible
The one with a perverse heart finds no good, and he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.

King James Bible
He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.

New King James Version
He who has a deceitful heart finds no good, And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil.

New American Standard Bible
One who has a crooked mind finds nothing good, And one who is corrupted in his language falls into evil.

NASB 1995
He who has a crooked mind finds no good, And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil.

NASB 1977
He who has a crooked mind finds no good, And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil.

Legacy Standard Bible
He who has a crooked heart finds no good, And he who is perverted in his tongue falls into evil.

Amplified Bible
He who has a crooked mind finds no good, And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil.

Christian Standard Bible
One with a twisted mind will not succeed, and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
One with a twisted mind will not succeed, and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin.

American Standard Version
He that hath a wayward heart findeth no good; And he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
He that is perverse in his heart will not find good and he that perverts his tongue falls into evil.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and the hard-hearted man comes not in for good. A man of a changeful tongue will fall into mischiefs;

Contemporary English Version
Dishonesty does you no good, and telling lies will get you in trouble.

Douay-Rheims Bible
He that is of a perverse heart, shall not find good: and he that perverteth his tongue, shall fall into evil.

English Revised Version
He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
A twisted mind never finds happiness, and one with a devious tongue [repeatedly]gets into trouble.

Good News Translation
Anyone who thinks and speaks evil can expect to find nothing good--only disaster.

International Standard Version
The person whose mind is perverse does not find good, and anyone with perverted speech falls into trouble.

JPS Tanakh 1917
He that hath a froward heart findeth no good; And he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into evil.

Literal Standard Version
The perverse of heart does not find good, | And the [one] turned in his tongue falls into evil.

Majority Standard Bible
The one with a perverse heart finds no good, and he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.

New American Bible
The perverse in heart come to no good, and the double-tongued fall into trouble.

NET Bible
The one who has a perverse heart does not find good, and the one who is deceitful in speech falls into trouble.

New Revised Standard Version
The crooked of mind do not prosper, and the perverse of tongue fall into calamity.

New Heart English Bible
One who has a perverse heart doesn't find prosperity, and one who has a deceitful tongue falls into trouble.

Webster's Bible Translation
He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.

World English Bible
One who has a perverse heart doesn’t find prosperity, and one who has a deceitful tongue falls into trouble.

Young's Literal Translation
The perverse of heart findeth not good, And the turned in his tongue falleth into evil.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Better a Dry Morsel in Quietness
19He who loves transgression loves strife; he who builds his gate high invites destruction. 20The one with a perverse heart finds no good, and he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble. 21A man fathers a fool to his own grief; the father of a fool has no joy.…

Cross References
James 3:8
but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Proverbs 6:14
With deceit in his heart he devises evil; he continually sows discord.

Proverbs 10:31
The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out.

Proverbs 24:20
For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.


Treasury of Scripture

He that has a fraudulent heart finds no good: and he that has a perverse tongue falls into mischief.

he that hath a froward heart

Proverbs 3:32
For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.

Proverbs 6:12-15
A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth…

Proverbs 8:13
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

and he

Proverbs 10:10,14,31
He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall…

Proverbs 18:6,7
A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes…

Ecclesiastes 10:12
The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

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Calamity Crooked Deceitful Evil Falleth Falls Find Findeth Finds Fixed Froward Good Heart Language Mind Mischief Perverse Perverted Prosper Prosperity Purposes Tongue Trouble Turned Wayward
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Calamity Crooked Deceitful Evil Falleth Falls Find Findeth Finds Fixed Froward Good Heart Language Mind Mischief Perverse Perverted Prosper Prosperity Purposes Tongue Trouble Turned Wayward
Proverbs 17
1. Contrasts between the Righteous and the Wicked














(20) He that hath a froward heart, findeth no good.--For he is an abomination to God (Proverbs 11:20), and so gains no blessing from Him.

Verse 20. - He that hath a froward heart findeth no good. (For "froward," see on Proverbs 11:20; for "find good," on Proverbs 16:20.) The perverse, wilful man shall not prosper, shall win no blessing in his worldly matters, much less in spiritual things. Septuagint, "He who is hard of heart meeteth not with good things." He that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief; literally, he who turns himself about with his tongue, saying one thing at one time and something quite contrary at another. Vulgate, qui vertit linguam; Septuagint, ἀνὴρ εὐμετάβολος γλώσσῃ, "easily changed in tongue" (comp. Proverbs 8:13; Proverbs 10:31, where the word is different). "Mischief" (ra) "is trouble," "calamity," as in Proverbs 13:17. Speaking of the various aspects which words may assume, Cato ('Dist.,' 4:20) says -

"Sermo hominum mores et celat et indicat idem."

"Man's words his character reveal,
But often they his mind conceal?


Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The one with a perverse
עִקֶּשׁ־ (‘iq·qeš-)
Adjective - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6141: Twisted, perverted

heart
לֵ֭ב (lêḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre

finds
יִמְצָא־ (yim·ṣā-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4672: To come forth to, appear, exist, to attain, find, acquire, to occur, meet, be present

no
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

good,
ט֑וֹב (ṭō·wḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

and he whose tongue
בִּ֝לְשׁוֹנ֗וֹ (bil·šō·w·nōw)
Preposition-b | Noun - common singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3956: The tongue

is deceitful
וְנֶהְפָּ֥ךְ (wə·neh·pāḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 2015: To turn about, over, to change, overturn, return, pervert

will fall
יִפּ֥וֹל (yip·pō·wl)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5307: To fall, lie

into trouble.
בְּרָעָֽה׃ (bə·rā·‘āh)
Preposition-b | Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 17:20 One who has a perverse heart doesn't (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 17:19
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