Proverbs 21:18

Modern

The wicked become a ransom for the righteous, and the faithless for the upright.

Traditional

The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, and the transgressor for the upright.

Literal

A wicked one is a ransom for a righteous one, and the one acting treacherously for upright ones.

Latin

Pro justo datur impius, et pro rectis iniquus.

Hebrew

English

The wicked become a ransom for the righteous, and the faithless for the upright.

The wicked will get caught in the traps they set for others (Proverbs 26:27; see also 11:8).

Proverbs 11:8
The righteous man is delivered from trouble; in his place the wicked man goes in.
Isaiah 43:3–4
For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place.
Isaiah 53:4–5
Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.
1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit,
Isaiah 55:8–9
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.