37:21 Evil men borrow, but do not repay their debt,
but the godly show compassion and are generous. 1
37:25 I was once young, now I am old.
I have never seen a godly man abandoned,
or his children 2 forced to search for food. 3
37:26 All day long he shows compassion and lends to others, 4
and his children 5 are blessed.
1 tn Heb “an evil [man] borrows and does not repay; but a godly [man] is gracious and gives.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and godly individual are in view. The three active participles and one imperfect (“repay”) draw attention to the characteristic behavior of the two types.
2 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
3 tn Heb “or his offspring searching for food.” The expression “search for food” also appears in Lam 1:11, where Jerusalem’s refugees are forced to search for food and to trade their valuable possessions for something to eat.
4 tn The active participles describe characteristic behavior.
5 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”