“The Lord has made everything for its purpose”: This line is difficult to interpret. “For its purpose” is taken by some to refer to the purpose or end for which things were made. Accordingly New English Bible/Revised English Bible says “The Lord has made each thing for its own end.” Bible en français courant has “The Lord has made everything with precise intention.” Contemporary English Version, on the other hand, is more general: “The Lord has a reason for everything he does.”

“Even the wicked for the day of trouble”: This line provides a concrete example of what is stated generally in the first line. “The day of trouble” is literally “the day of evil” and refers to the day of judgment or punishment. What God’s purpose is in creating the wicked for punishment the proverb does not say. The Good News Translation rendering may serve as a model, but it may require some adjustment; for example, “The Lord has decided how everything he created should be, and he has decided the wicked should be destroyed.”

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 .