The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.
The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,
but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.
When the wicked dies, his hope will perish,
and the expectation of wealth perishes too.
The righteous is delivered from trouble,
and the wicked walks into it instead.
With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbour,
but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.Proverbs 11:3-9
We may think of 'wrath' in 4 either in the ultimate sense, in terms of the judgment day - where the meaning of the verse is obvious - or in terms of any crisis-time of trouble, such as sorrow, misfortune, heartbreak. At such times, it is character that counts, not social status. Integrity is like a rock in time of trial - it will bear a man through any tragedy, and at the last through death. It is wrought by God in a renewed heart. The meaning in 6 is that evil has always within itself the seeds of its own destruction - this should be a substantial comfort to us as we look across the world and see all its convulsions. This is one reason why God often seems to let things go on far longer than we feel He ought. He is giving evil its head in order that it may finally go too far and destroy itself. The RSV translation of 8b, 'the wicked gets into it instead' gives a clearer meaning of the verse, similar to the emphasis in Psalm 7:15. In 9 the reference is to the harm that malicious, destructive talk can do. The antidote is knowledge - that is, it always helps to make the truth of a situation known, to get the record straight. When this is done, in the interests of truth, it is astonishing just how much subversive talk by godless people is set at nought. This is a Christian duty, and no one should shirk its fulfilment through natural diffidence or timidity. There is a time to speak as well as a time to be silent.