12:21

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

21a
No harm befalls the righteous,

22b but the wicked are filled with trouble.

12:21a–b

harm…trouble: The Hebrew words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as harm and trouble can both refer to moral evil or wickedness. But in this verse, they probably represent the results of evil, such as harm, injury, trouble, or misfortune.

12:21a

No harm befalls the righteous:
This statement seems to contradict our actual experience, so a few versions have tried to limit the meaning of harm to “ultimate spiritual harm.” For example:

No ⌊lasting⌋ harm comes to a righteous person (God’s Word)

However, it is probably better to understand this line as a general principle and to translate harm without limiting the normal meaning. For example:

Nothing bad happens to righteous people (Good News Translation)
-or-
Righteous people never have trouble

12:21b

but the wicked are filled with trouble: In contrast to the righteous, the wicked experience much trouble. Another way to translate this clause is:

but wicked people have lots of trouble (God’s Word)

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