11:31
Notice the parallelism:
31a If the righteous receive their due on earth,
31b how much more the ungodly and the sinner !
There is an ellipsis in 11:31b. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply the verb phrase “receive their due” from 11:31a. For example:
31b how much more ⌊will⌋ the ungodly and the sinner ⌊receive their due⌋ !
This is the first example in Proverbs of logical reasoning from the lesser to the greater. The reasoning goes like this: Since 11:31a is true, even more certainly 11:31b must be true. This kind of reasoning also occurs in 15:11, 17:7, 19:7, 19:10, and 21:27.
11:31a–b
If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!: The verb receive their due means to be repaid or to receive what they deserve for their actions. There are two ways to interpret the verb in this context:
(1) The verb is used in a bad sense to mean “be punished.” Since even the righteous are punished for their sins, it is even more certain that the ungodly are punished for their sins. For example:
If the just man is punished on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner! (New American Bible)
(2) The verb is used in a good sense to mean “be rewarded.” Since the righteous are rewarded for the good that they do, it is even more certain that the ungodly are punished for the evil that they do. For example:
Those who are good are rewarded here on earth, so you can be sure that wicked and sinful people will be punished. (Good News Translation)
Many versions are ambiguous. For example:
is requited (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
are repaid (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
gets due reward (New Jerusalem Bible)
Phrases such as these, as well as receive their due in the Berean Standard Bible, can have either a bad or a good meaning in English.
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most scholars. There are at least two reasons:
(a) The general theme of Proverbs is that the righteous are rewarded. However, many examples in the Old Testament show that God judges or disciplines those whom he loves.
(b) The reasoning from the lesser to the greater makes more sense in interpretation (1), because it is much easier to understand that God will judge the wicked.
Verbs such as “is recompensed/repaid” and “is punished” are passive. In some languages, it may be more natural to use active verbs and supply the LORD as the subject. For example:
We know that ⌊the LORD⌋ repays righteous people here on this earth for the sins they have committed. If that is true, it is even more certain that ⌊he⌋ will punish those who are sinful and wicked.
11:31a
If the righteous: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible and most versions translate as If calls attention to what follows. It should not imply doubt. Some other ways to express this meaning are:
Since the righteous…
-or-
We know that the righteous…
receive their due on earth: Some scholars think that the words on earth emphasize the location where the righteous now receive their due. This location is in contrast to hell, where the wicked receive their due in the future. But no version makes this contrast explicit.
Most scholars think that both the righteous and the wicked will be repaid on earth according to their deeds. So in your translation, you should be careful not to imply a different location for the judgment of the wicked.
11:31b
the ungodly and the sinner: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as ungodly is the same word that it translates as “wicked” in many other verses. Most other versions translate it here as “wicked.” The “wicked” and the sinner both describe the same person. Some ways of making this clear are:
you can be sure that wicked and sinful people will be punished (Good News Translation)
-or-
how much more the wicked sinner (NET Bible)
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