Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageAs the old proverb says, "Wickedness flows from wicked people" — but my hand will not be against you.'
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GAs the ancient proverb says, "From the wicked comes wickedness" — but my hand will not be against you.'
KJV
King James VersionAs saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleAs the old proverb says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ But my hand will never be against you.
Footnotes
The phrase מְשַׁל הַקַּדְמֹנִי (*meshal haqdamoni*) — 'the proverb of the ancients' — is cited nowhere else in Scripture, indicating it was drawn from living oral tradition rather than written law. David deploys it not merely as moral maxim but as evidence: his conduct in the cave has already rendered the verdict. Wickedness is self-revealing through deeds, and his deeds have spoken. The implicit claim is that restraint is its own testimony — David needs no oath when the corner of Saul's robe has already made the case.
