Proverbs 24:20-22
New Catholic Bible
20 For they will have no tomorrow;
the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
21 My son, fear the Lord and fear the king;[a]
avoid those who rebel against them.
22 For disaster will strike them suddenly,
and who knows what ruin will afflict them and their friends?[b]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:21 Fear the Lord and fear the king: the faithful are to render obedience to the Lord and to civil authority (see Eccl 8:2-5; Mt 18:21-22; Lk 17:4; Rom 13:1ff; 1 Pet 2:13-17). Scripture regards the king as the punisher of the wicked (see Prov 20:8, 26).
- Proverbs 24:22
After this verse, the Greek text adds five verses as follows:
22aA son who keeps the commandment will escape destruction,
for he embraced it willingly.
22bLet no falsehood be spoken by the tongue of the king,
yes, let no falsehood proceed from his tongue.
22cThe king’s tongue is a sword, not some fleshly thing,
and whoever is handed up to him will be crushed.
22dFor if his wrath is provoked,
he destroys men with all their sinews.
22eHe devours men’s bones
and like a flame burns them up,
so that they are not even fit to be eaten by young eagles.
The Greek text then appends here chapter 30:1-14.
