“An evil man is ensnared in his transgression”: This line is literally “In the sin of an evil man [there is] a snare.” The idea is that the evil person’s sin snares or traps him. See Good News Translation. In many languages it is not possible to say that sin snares or traps someone. Therefore, some adjustment is required; for example, “An evil person who does wrong is like an animal caught in a trap” or “If you are evil and do wrong, your sin will catch you like a snare catches an animal.” For “transgression” see 10.12, where it is rendered “offense.”

“But a righteous man sings and rejoices”: This line does not mean that the “righteous” or honest person “rejoices” because the sinner has been caught. Rather the thought is that the good person has no reason to fear the trap of sin and therefore “sings and rejoices”. The Hebrew verb rendered “sings” means to give a shout of rejoicing; New Jerusalem Bible expresses this as “exults,” while New Living Translation renders “sings and rejoices” as “shouting for joy.” Good News Translation makes clear the reason the righteous rejoice: “while honest people are happy and free.” Contemporary English Version has “but everyone who lives right will sing and celebrate.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .