Proverbs 24:25

But there will be delight ¹  for those who convict ²  the guilty, ³  and a pleasing blessing ⁴  will come on them.

But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.

But to those who rebuke the wicked will be delight, And a good blessing will come upon them.

But blessings are showered on those who convict the guilty.

But whoever exposes the wicked will be thanked and rewarded.

But those who say sharp words to him will have delight, and a blessing of good will come on them.

but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them.

But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, And a good blessing will come upon them.

But there will be delight ¹  for those who convict ²  the guilty, ³  and a pleasing blessing ⁴  will come on them.

¹ tn The verb means “to be pleasant; to be delightful.” The imperfect tense promises that there “will be delight” to those who rebuke the wicked.

² tn The verb יָכַח (yakhakh) means “to decide; to adjudge; to prove.” This word occurs frequently in the book of Proverbs meaning “to reprove” or “to rebuke.” It deals with disputes, legal or otherwise. It can refer to a charge against someone or starting a dispute (and so rebuke); it can mean quarrel, argue; and it can mean settle a dispute. In this context the first or last use would work: (1) reproving the wicked for what they do (cf. KJV, NASB, NRSV), or (2) convicting them in a legal setting (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT). In light of the previous forensic context the second sense is preferred here.

³ tn “The guilty” is supplied in the translation for clarity based on the preceding context. See the previous note on the word “convict”: If a non-forensic context is preferred for vv. 23-25, “wicked” would be supplied here.

⁴ tn The expression is בִרְכַּת־טוֹב (birkat-tov, “blessing of good”); the genitive “good” has to be an attributive genitive modifying “blessings.” The word is general enough to mean any number of things – rich, healthy, pleasing, etc. The parallelism here narrows the choice. Some English versions interpret the “blessing” here as prosperity (cf. NAB, TEV, CEV).