Proverbs 19:28

A crooked witness ¹  scorns justice, and the mouth of the wicked devours ²  iniquity.

A corrupt witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.

A rascally witness makes a mockery of justice, And the mouth of the wicked spreads iniquity.

A corrupt witness makes a mockery of justice; the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.

An unprincipled witness desecrates justice; the mouths of the wicked spew malice.

A good-for-nothing witness makes sport of the judge’s decision: and the mouth of evil-doers sends out evil like a stream.

A worthless witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.

A disreputable witness scorns justice, And the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.

A crooked witness ¹  scorns justice, and the mouth of the wicked devours ²  iniquity.

¹ tn Heb “a witness who is worthless and wicked” (עֵד בְּלִיַּעַל, ’ed beliyya’al). Cf. KJV “an ungodly witness”; NAB “an unprincipled witness”; NCV “an evil witness”; NASB “a rascally witness.”

sn These are crooked or corrupt witnesses who willfully distort the facts and make a mockery of the whole legal process.

² tn The parallel line says the mouth of the wicked “gulps down” or “swallows” (יְבַלַּע, yÿvala’) iniquity. The verb does not seem to fit the line (or the proverb) very well. Some have emended the text to יַבִּיעַ (yavia’, “gushes”) as in 15:28 (cf. NAB “pours out”). Driver followed an Arabic balaga to get “enunciates,” which works well with the idea of a false witness (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 529). As it stands, however, the line indicates that in what he says the wicked person accepts evil – and that could describe a false witness.