Proverbs 29:10

Bloodthirsty people ¹  hate someone with integrity; ²  as for the upright, they seek his life. ³ 

Bloodthirsty men hate a man of integrity and seek to kill the upright.

Men of bloodshed hate the blameless, But the upright are concerned for his life.

The bloodthirsty hate the honest, but the upright seek out the honest.

Murderers hate honest people; moral folks encourage them.

Men of blood are haters of the good man, and evil-doers go after his soul.

The bloodthirsty hate the blameless, and they seek the life of the upright.

The bloodthirsty hate the blameless, But the upright seek his well–being.

Bloodthirsty people ¹  hate someone with integrity; ²  as for the upright, they seek his life. ³ 

¹ tn Heb “men of bloods.” The Hebrew word for “blood” is written in the plural to reflect the shedding of blood. So the expression “men of bloods” means people who shed blood – murderers, bloodthirsty men, or those who would not hesitate to commit murder in order to get what they want.

² sn The Hebrew word describes the “blameless” or “innocent” who maintain integrity. The bloodthirsty despise people who insist on decency and integrity.

³ tn Heb “and the upright seek his life.” There are two ways this second line can be taken. (1) One can see it as a continuation of the first line, meaning that the bloodthirsty men also “seek the life of the upright” (cf. NIV, NRSV). The difficulty is that the suffix is singular but the apparent referent is plural. (2) One can take it is as a contrast: “but as for the upright, they seek his life” – a fairly straightforward rendering (cf. ASV). The difficulty here is that “seeking a life” is normally a hostile act, but it would here be positive: “seeking” a life to preserve it. The verse would then say that the bloodthirsty hate the innocent, but the righteous protect them (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 637; cf. NAB, NASB, TEV).