"...pero al tramposo le ganas en astucia."

[laepelba]

Leí en el Reina Valera Contemporánea dos versículos con esta frase, y no puedo encontrarla en ningún otro lugar:

2 Samuel 22:27 y Salmo 18:26 (los dos son lo mismo)
Juegas limpio con quien juega limpio,
pero al tramposo le ganas en astucia.

Entiendo que el significado es que Dios se muestra si mismo como los que están con él. Pero no entiendo la segunda frase. ¿Es un dicho? Ya entiendo las palabras "tramposo" y "astucia", pero no entiendo la estructura del enunciado con "le ganas".....

[Rusty]

The indirect object pronoun refers back to "el tramposo."
The phrase "ganarle en astucia" means "outfox someone" (be more cunning, more shrewd, than another).
Remember that the present indicative tense also maps to the near future, so 'you will outfox the wayward' is more or less what I get out of the phrase.
I'm not seeing the same wording in the KJV.

Wait for other opinions.

[laepelba]

Thanks, Rusty - that's very helpful. I figured there was some modismo there, but couldn't figure out which words played into it.

I often compare several English translations and several Spanish translations, and you would be surprised at the differences in individual phrasing, even between the same language translations. They were taken from different original-language manuscripts from various periods in time, and depending on the people copying them and for what purpose, differences arise.... And of course, two translations, even from the same manuscripts, can be quite different.

[JPablo]

I agree, except probably the "will", the future, may not be needed, as "God" acts in "present".

I see several English versions,

to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.

With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury.

The Spanish is as Rusty says, "the shifty, you outfox him [you outfox the shifty, the cheater]"

[laepelba]

Great!!! Thanks!!!