The theme of this saying is that paying back people for evil is best left to the Lord. The two lines give advice as to what to do and what not to do when someone does wrong to you.

“Do not say, “I will repay evil””: The desire to get even is a normal human attitude, and actions and rituals of vengeance are traditional in some cultures. ““I will repay evil”” suggests that a wrong has been done already; and this command warns against trying to pay back or get even with the wrongdoer. “Do not say” may be understood to mean “Do not think. . .” (Revised English Bible) or “Don’t try to. . .” (Contemporary English Version). Having in mind the following line, Good News Translation says “Don’t take it on yourself to repay. . ..” “Evil”, as in 17.13, is a general term that may refer to any kind of injury or wrong.

“Wait for the Lord, and he will help you”: This is positive advice that balances the warning in the previous line. The expression “wait for the Lord” is found a number of times in the Psalms (for instance 27.14; 37.34) and has the sense of leaving what concerns us in the Lord‘s hands, or trusting him to take care of it. Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version both say “Trust the Lord.” “Help” is the Hebrew word that means “save” or “deliver”; any of these terms are suitable in translation. Some translations make this action refer back to the actual wrong mentioned in the first line; for example, “he will straighten the thing out” or “he will make it right” (Good News Translation).

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 .