Proverbs 14:25

NETBible

A truthful witness 1  rescues lives, 2  but the one who breathes lies brings 3  deception. 4 

NIV ©

A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful.

NASB ©

A truthful witness saves lives, But he who utters lies is treacherous.

NLT ©

A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is a traitor.

MSG ©

Souls are saved by truthful witness and betrayed by the spread of lies.

BBE ©

A true witness is the saviour of lives; but he who says false things is a cause of deceit.

NRSV ©

A truthful witness saves lives, but one who utters lies is a betrayer.

NKJV ©

A true witness delivers souls, But a deceitful witness speaks lies.

KJV
A true
<0571>
witness
<05707>
delivereth
<05337> (8688)
souls
<05315>_:
but a deceitful
<04820>
[witness] speaketh
<06315> (8686)
lies
<03577>_.
NASB ©
A truthful
<571>
witness
<5707>
saves
<5337>
lives
<5315>
, But he who utters
<6315>
lies
<3577>
is treacherous
<4820>
.
LXXM
rusetai {V-FMI-3S} ek
<1537> 
PREP
kakwn
<2556> 
A-GPM
quchn
<5590> 
N-ASF
martuv
<3144> 
N-NSM
pistov
<4103> 
A-NSM
ekkaiei
<1572> 
V-PAI-3S
de
<1161> 
PRT
qeudh
<5571> 
A-APN
doliov
<1386> 
A-NSM
NET [draft] ITL
A truthful
<0571>
witness
<05707>
rescues
<05337>
lives
<05315>
, but the one who breathes
<06315>
lies
<03577>
brings deception
<04820>
.
HEBREW
hmrm
<04820>
Mybzk
<03577>
xpyw
<06315>
tma
<0571>
de
<05707>
twspn
<05315>
lyum (14:25)
<05337>
NETBible

A truthful witness 1  rescues lives, 2  but the one who breathes lies brings 3  deception. 4 

NET Notes

1 tn Heb “a witness of truth”; cf. CEV “an honest witness.”

2 tn The noun נְפָשׁוֹת (nÿfashot) often means “souls,” but here “lives” – it functions as a metonymy for life (BDB 659 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 3.c).

2 sn The setting of this proverb is the courtroom. One who tells the truth “saves” (מַצִּיל [matsil, “rescues; delivers”]) the lives of those falsely accused.

3 tn The term “brings” does not appear in the Hebrew but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity. Also possible, “is deceitful.”

4 tc Several commentators suggest emending the text from the noun מִרְמָה (mirmah, “deception”) to the participle מְרַמֶּה (mÿrameh, “destroys”). However, this revocalization is not necessary because the MT makes sense as it stands: A false witness destroys lives.