Proverbs 28:18

The one who walks blamelessly will be delivered, ¹  but whoever is perverse in his ways will fall ²  at once. ³ 

He whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall.

He who walks blamelessly will be delivered, But he who is crooked will fall all at once.

The honest will be rescued from harm, but those who are crooked will be destroyed.

Walk straight--live well and be saved; a devious life is a doomed life.

He whose ways are upright will be safe, but sudden will be the fall of him whose ways are twisted.

One who walks in integrity will be safe, but whoever follows crooked ways will fall into the Pit.

Whoever walks blamelessly will be saved, But he who is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall.

The one who walks blamelessly will be delivered, ¹  but whoever is perverse in his ways will fall ²  at once. ³ 

¹ tn The form is the Niphal imperfect of יָשַׁע (yasha’, “will be saved”). In all probability this refers to deliverance from misfortune. Some render it “kept safe” (NIV) or “will be safe” (NRSV, TEV). It must be interpreted in contrast to the corrupt person who will fall.

² tn The Qal imperfect יִפּוֹל (yipol) is given a future translation in this context, as is the previous verb (“will be delivered”) because the working out of divine retribution appears to be coming suddenly in the future. The idea of “falling” could be a metonymy of adjunct (with the falling accompanying the ruin that comes to the person), or it may simply be a comparison between falling and being destroyed. Cf. NCV “will suddenly be ruined”; NLT “will be destroyed.”

³ tn The last word in the verse, בְּאֶחָת (bÿ’ekhat), means “in one [= at once (?)].” This may indicate a sudden fall, for falling “in one” (the literal meaning) makes no sense. W. McKane wishes to emend the text to read “into a pit” based on v. 10b (Proverbs [OTL], 622); this emendation is followed by NAB, NRSV.