Proverbs 10:16

The reward ¹  which the righteous receive ²  is life; the recompense ³  which the wicked receive ⁴  is judgment. ⁵ 

The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.

The wages of the righteous is life, The income of the wicked, punishment.

The earnings of the godly enhance their lives, but evil people squander their money on sin.

The wage of a good person is exuberant life; an evil person ends up with nothing but sin.

The work of the upright gives life: the increase of the evil-doer is a cause of sin.

The wage of the righteous leads to life, the gain of the wicked to sin.

The labor of the righteous leads to life, The wages of the wicked to sin.

The reward ¹  which the righteous receive ²  is life; the recompense ³  which the wicked receive ⁴  is judgment. ⁵ 

¹ tn Heb “recompense” (so NAB); NASB, NIV “wages.” The noun פְּעֻלַּה (pÿ’ullah) has a two-fold range of meanings: (1) “work; deed” and (2) “reward; recompense” (BDB 821 s.v.). There is a clear correlation between a person’s conduct and its consequences. Rewards are determined by moral choices. What one receives in life depends on the use of gifts and a righteous character.

² tn Heb “the recompense of the righteous.”

³ tn Heb “harvest.” The term תְּבוּאַת (tÿvu’at, “harvest; yield”) is used figuratively here (hypocatastasis), drawing an implied comparison between the agricultural yield of a farmer’s labors with the consequences of the actions of the wicked. They will “reap” (= judgment) what they “sow” (= sin).

⁴ tn Heb “the harvest of the wicked.”

⁵ tn Heb “sin.” The term חַטָּאת (khatta’t, “sin”) functions as a metonymy of cause (= sin) for effect (= punishment). In contrast to the righteous who receive a reward, the wicked receive punishment for their sin (cf. NASB, NIV, NCV). See D. W. Thomas, “The Meaning of חַטָּאת in Proverbs X.16,” JTS 15 (1964): 295-96.