Proverbs 22:8

The one who sows ¹  iniquity will reap trouble, and the rod of his fury ²  will end.

He who sows wickedness reaps trouble, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.

He who sows iniquity will reap vanity, And the rod of his fury will perish.

Those who plant seeds of injustice will harvest disaster, and their reign of terror will end.

Whoever sows sin reaps weeds, and bullying anger sputters into nothing.

By planting the seed of evil a man will get in the grain of sorrow, and the rod of his wrath will be broken.

Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of anger will fail.

He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow, And the rod of his anger will fail.

The one who sows ¹  iniquity will reap trouble, and the rod of his fury ²  will end.

¹ sn The verse is making an implied comparison (a figure of speech known as hypocatastasis) between sowing and sinning. One who sins is like one who sows, for there will be a “harvest” or a return on the sin – trouble.

² tc There is a variant reading in the LXX; instead of “the rod of his wrath” it reads “the punishment of his deeds.” C. H. Toy wishes to emend שֵׁבֶט (shevet) to שֶׁבֶר (shever), “the produce of his work” (Proverbs [ICC], 416). But the Hebrew text is not obscure, and שֶׁבֶר does not exactly mean “produce.” The expression “rod of his wrath” may not follow the imagery of 8a very closely, but it is nonetheless understandable. The “rod” is a symbol of power; “wrath” is a metonymy of cause indicating what wrath will do, and an objective genitive. The expression signifies that in reaping trouble for his sins this person will no longer be able to unleash his fury on others. The LXX adds: “A man who is cheerful and a giver God blesses” (e.g., 2 Cor 9:7).