“Condemnation is ready for scoffers”: “Condemnation” is literally “judgments,” that is, punishments given by God or those appointed by God. “Is ready” means that the punishment is prepared and waiting to be given to the “scoffer”. “Scoffer” is as in 1.22 and refers to people who openly scorn or ridicule God and religion.

“And flogging for the backs of fools”: This line clearly echoes the first and understands the verb from that line as applying here also. “Flogging” means beating or blows. See 18.6, where the same Hebrew word is translated. “The back” refers to the area between the shoulders and the waist. Note that Good News Translation has combined this line with the first because they have about the same sense. If we keep the two lines, we may say, for example, “There is a punishment ready for the scoffer and a beating for the backs of fools.”

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 .