Proverbs 10:5-7
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
5 A son who gathers in summer is a credit;
a son who slumbers during harvest, a disgrace.
6 Blessings are for the head of the just;
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.[a]
7 The memory of the just serves as blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.[b]
Footnotes
- 10:6 This saying, like several others in the chapter, plays on the different senses of the verb “to cover.” As in English, “to cover” can mean to fill (as in Is 60:2) and to conceal (as in Jb 16:18). Colon B can be read either “violence fills the mouth (= head) of the wicked” or “the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.” The ambiguity is intentional; the proverb is meant to be read both ways.
- 10:7 The name of the righteous continues to be used after their death in blessings such as “May you be as blessed as Abraham,” but the wicked, being enemies of God, do not live on in anyone’s memory. Their names rot with their bodies.
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