Proverbs 12:17

The faithful witness ¹  tells what is right, ²  but a false witness ³  speaks ⁴  deceit.

A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies.

He who speaks truth tells what is right, But a false witness, deceit.

An honest witness tells the truth; a false witness tells lies.

Truthful witness by a good person clears the air, but liars lay down a smoke screen of deceit.

The breathing out of true words gives knowledge of righteousness; but a false witness gives out deceit.

Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness speaks deceitfully.

He who speaks truth declares righteousness, But a false witness, deceit.

The faithful witness ¹  tells what is right, ²  but a false witness ³  speaks ⁴  deceit.

¹ tn The text has “he pours out faithfully”; the word rendered “faithfully” or “reliably” (אֱמוּנָה, ’emunah) is used frequently for giving testimony in court, and so here the subject matter is the reliable witness.

² tn Heb “righteousness.”

³ tn Heb “witness of falsehoods.” The genitive noun functions attributively, and the plural form depicts habitual action or moral characteristic. This describes a person who habitually lies. A false witness cannot be counted on to help the cause of justice.

⁴ tn The term “speaks” does not appear in this line but is implied by the parallelism; it is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.