Proverbs 20:22

22 Say not, I will avenge myself on my enemy; but wait on the Lord, that he may help thee.

Proverbs 20:22 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 20:22

Say not thou, I will recompense evil
With evil; do an injury to one that has done one to you; private revenge is not to be taken, but should be left to God, to whom vengeance belongs, ( Deuteronomy 32:35 Deuteronomy 32:41 ) ; [but] wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee;
commit thyself and cause to God; leave it with him to avenge thy wrongs; wait upon him in the way of thy duty, and wait his own time to do thee justice; he will at the proper season, and in his own way, save thee from thine enemy, and make a righteous retribution to him.

Proverbs 20:22 In-Context

20 The lamp of him that reviles father or mother shall be put out, and his eyeballs shall see darkness.
21 A portion hastily gotten at first shall not be blessed in the end.
22 Say not, I will avenge myself on my enemy; but wait on the Lord, that he may help thee.
23 A double weight is an abomination to the Lord; and a deceitful balance is not good in his sight.
24 A man's goings are directed of the Lord: how then can a mortal understand his ways?

The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.