Righteous

 It's me going on about the Passion translation comparison with my Modern English version again.  I'm nearly finished Proverbs and I'm finding the Passion translation almost unrecognizable in many cases as compared to all the translations I have ever read.

One thing that I find disappointing is that, in many cases, "the righteous" is replaced with "the lovers of God".  For example, Proverbs 10:25 is changed from "...the righteous has an everlasting foundation" to "...when a catastrophe comes, the lovers of God have a secure anchor."  Sometimes, both versions do use the term "the righteous."

I'm going to include a few (actually, more than a few, but not nearly all) of the promises of protection, provision and blessing that Proverbs has for the righteous.  There are too many to list them all here.  (I will add bold type and italics as I please, not paying attention to rules of any kind.  Also, I’ll quote the Modern English first and add the Passion translation here and there)

Proverbs 11:8, 28:  The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked comes in his place...He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.  (The righteous are snatched away from trouble, and the wicked show up in their place...Keep trusting in your riches and down you'll go!  But the lovers of God rise up like flowers in the spring.)

12:3b:  …the root of the righteous will not be moved (…the lives of his lovers are deeply rooted and firmly planted). 

and v. 7:  The wicked are overthrown, and are not, but the house of the righteous will stand. 

and v. 28:  In the way of righteousness is life,and in its pathway there is no death.

14:11:  The house of the wicked will be overthrown, but the tent of the righteous will flourish.

15:6:  In the house of the righteous is much treasure, but in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.

21:18:  The wicked will be a ransom for the righteous, and the transgressor for the upright.

28:1:  The wicked flee when no man pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion. (Guilty criminals experience paranoia, even though no one threatens them.   But the innocent lovers of God, because of righteousness, will have the boldness of a young, ferocious lion!)

One of my favourite verses is Proverbs 18:10:  The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe.  (The character of God is a tower of strength, for the lovers of God delight to run into his heart and be exalted on high.)

I have valued the use of the term “the righteous” in these promises because I can always say, “That’s for me.  That’s my promise.”  And why is that?  Because, I have been, by the grace of God, made righteous.  Romans 10:9, 10 says, “…if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, for with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  The passage of 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 tells me that because I am in Christ, I am a new creation, God has reconciled me to Himself through  Jesus Christ, He is not counting my sins against me, and that He made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for me, so that I could become the righteous of God Himself through Him!!!  Romans 5:17 reads like this:  “For if by one man’s trespass (Adam’s) death reigned through him, then how much more will those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”  So, I can read the promises in Proverbs and say, “Yes, that’s mine” because I have received that gift of righteousness.  I have not earned it nor do I deserve it due to anything that I have done, but it’s mine all the same.  I just had to recognize that it was offered, and accept it.

And that’s why I dislike the removal of that term from some of the verses in the Passion translation.  I have a claim on those promises to the righteous.