18 The wicked become a ransom for the righteous, and the unfaithful for the upright.

Other Translations of Proverbs 21:18

King James Version

18 The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, and the transgressor for the upright.

English Standard Version

18 The wicked is a ransom for the righteous, and the traitor for the upright.

The Message

18 What a bad person plots against the good, boomerangs; the plotter gets it in the end.

New King James Version

18 The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, And the unfaithful for the upright.

New Living Translation

18 The wicked are punished in place of the godly, and traitors in place of the honest.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Proverbs 21:18

Commentary on Proverbs 21:18

(Read Proverbs 21:18)

The righteous is often delivered out of trouble, and the wicked comes in his stead, and so seems as a ransom for him.