Paragraph 12:17–21

12:17a

Do not repay anyone evil for evil: This clause indicates that the believer should not do something evil to someone because that person did something evil to him. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

Never pay back evil with evil (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Don’t pay people back with evil for the evil they do to you (God’s Word)

evil: The Greek word here it refers to harm that someone has done to you. Here are other ways to translate this word:

do wrong/harm
-or-
mistreat (Contemporary English Version)

It is different from the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “evil” at 12:9b. But some languages will translate it with the same word as there.

12:17b

consider: The Greek word refers to thinking ahead about what you are going to do. Here are other ways to translate this Greek word:

give thought to (English Standard Version)
-or-
plan ahead to do

right: The Greek word here refers to what is beautiful or good. Here it refers to what is morally good. Here are other ways to translate this word:

noble (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
good (NET Bible)

in the eyes of everybody: Here the word everybody refers to all people, believers and non-believers. For example:

before all people (NET Bible)

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