Proverbs 13:12

Hope ¹  deferred ²  makes the heart sick, ³  but a longing fulfilled ⁴  is like ⁵  a tree of life.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy.

Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around.

Hope put off is a weariness to the heart; but when what is desired comes, it is a tree of life.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

Hope ¹  deferred ²  makes the heart sick, ³  but a longing fulfilled ⁴  is like ⁵  a tree of life.

¹ sn The word “hope” (תּוֹחֶלֶת [tokhelet] from יָחַל [yakhal]) also has the implication of a tense if not anxious wait.

² tn The verb is the Pual participle from מָשַׁךְ (mashakh,“to draw; to drag”).

³ sn Failure in realizing one’s hopes can be depressing or discouraging. People can bear frustration only so long (W. G. Plaut, Proverbs, 153).

⁴ tn Heb “a desire that comes”; cf. CEV “a wish that comes true.”

⁵ tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.