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17 The faithful witness[a] tells what is right,[b]
but a false witness[c] speaks[d] deceit.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:17 tn The text has “he pours out faithfully”; the word rendered “faithfully” or “reliably” (אֱמוּנָה, ʾemunah) is used frequently for giving testimony in court, and so here the subject matter is the reliable witness.
  2. Proverbs 12:17 tn Heb “righteousness.”
  3. Proverbs 12:17 tn Heb “witness of falsehoods.” The genitive noun functions attributively, and the plural form depicts habitual action or moral characteristic. This describes a person who habitually lies. A false witness cannot be counted on to help the cause of justice.
  4. Proverbs 12:17 tn The term “speaks” does not appear in this line but is implied by the parallelism; it is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.