Proverbs 20:22

Hebrew Bible

20 The one who curses his father and his mother, his lamp will be extinguished in the blackest darkness. 21 An inheritance gained easily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end. 22 Do not say, “I will pay back evil!” Wait for the Lord, so that he may vindicate you. 23 The Lord abhors differing weights, and dishonest scales are wicked. 24 The steps of a person are ordained by the Lord—so how can anyone understand his own way?

Romans 12:17

New Testament

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people. 19 Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

 Notes and References

"... For expressions elsewhere with the phrasing “repayment,” see 1 Enoch 95:5; 2 Enoch 50:2–4; Joseph and Aseneth 23:9; 28:5, 10, 14; 29:3; Romans 12:17–21; 1 Thessalonians 5:15; with the phrasing “not imitating evil,” see Pseudo-Phocylides 77–78; with the phrasing “not taking vengeance” (Leviticus 19:18), see, e.g., Sirach 27:30–28:7; Testament of Gad 6:7; with the phrasing “not recalling evil,” see Philo, on Joseph 246, 261; Testament of Simeon 4:4–7; Testament of Zebulon 8:4–6; for the phrasing “not reckoning evil,” see Testament of Zebulon 8:5; Testament of Benjamin 3:6; for the response of “good,” see Testament of Gad 4:2–3; 5:2–3; Testament of Benjamin 8:1–2; Ahiqar, Syriac A, 20; for the warrant of deferring to God’s justice, see Sirach 19:17; Testament of Gad 6:7; 7:4–5; Joseph and Aseneth 28:10–11, 14; 2 Enoch 50:2–4 ... Some, not all, of these are applied universally to all people ..."

Zerbe, Gordon M. "Economic Justice and Nonretaliation in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Implications for New Testament Interpretation" in Charlesworth, James H. (ed.) The Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls: The Second Princeton Symposium on Judaism and Christian Origins (pp. 319-355) Baylor University Press, 2006

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