“Do not hastily bring into court” is literally “Do not go out to fight [strive, struggle] hastily.” “Bring into court” could mean to sue someone, and so Contemporary English Version says “Be sure you are right before you sue someone.” But it may also refer to taking legal action about any kind of public or private matter.

“For what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame?”: The Revised Standard Version footnote shows the Hebrew text has “lest” in place of “for”. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project rates the text as “A” and recommends “otherwise what will you do?” “Your neighbor” probably refers to “another witness,” as in Good News Translation. In “puts you to shame” we understand that the other witness reports things that prove you wrong and therefore shames you. This may need to be expressed in the translation in some languages. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates “What you see with your own eyes don’t take it immediately to court, because another witness may contradict you and in the end you won’t know what to do.” Note that Biblia Dios Habla Hoy also changes the rhetorical question here to a statement. In some languages it may be better to render it as a warning statement; for example, “You might go down before your neighbors in shameful defeat” (New Living Translation) or “or it will end in reproaches from your friend” (Revised English Bible).

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 .