Proverbs 11:30 is translated by the Holman Christian Standard Bible: "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, but violence takes lives," whereas the NIV says: "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise," and the NASB says "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise wins souls." Which is the more accurate? -- Chad Garber
First, let's look at a few more translations--always a good strategy when we are trying to understand any passage, as this can prevent us from getting trapped in translational bias.
NAB: The fruit of virtue is a tree of life, but violence takes lives away.
NLT: The godly are like trees that bear life-giving fruit, and those who save lives are wise.
NJB: The fruit of the upright is a tree of life: the sage captivates souls.
The ambiguity lies in two places. The verb takes can mean take as in the sense of kill (take a life) or also take as in accept/receive or even win. The parallelism may be synonymous (NIV) or antithetical (Holman). Maybe we should leave this question open.
