The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.
KJV
Parallel translations
4 additional translations▾
Parallel translations
4 additional translationsASV
The merciful man doeth good to his own soul; But he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.
WEB
A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.
YLT
A kind man is rewarding his own soul, And the fierce is troubling his own flesh.
DBT
The merciful man doeth good to his own soul; but the cruel troubleth his own flesh.
About this book
Old Testament▾
About this book
Old TestamentProverbs — Gnomic wisdom — sayings, instructions, and the binary of wisdom vs. folly. Fear of the LORD as the integrative theme; the virtuous woman of Prov 31 as the book's closing portrait of wisdom embodied.
- Author
- Solomon principally (1:1; chs 10–22:16 and 25–29 explicitly); Agur (ch 30); Lemuel's mother (ch 31:1–9); editorial compilation by Hezekiah's men (25:1).
- Date
- Solomon's reign c. 970–930 BC; Hezekiah's editorial layer c. 715–687 BC.