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10 Wisdom will ·come into your mind [penetrate your heart],
    and knowledge will be ·pleasing [attractive] to you.
11 ·Good sense [Discretion] will protect you;
    understanding will guard you.

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10 For (A)wisdom will enter your heart,
And (B)knowledge will be delightful to your soul;
11 Discretion will (C)watch over you,
Understanding will guard you,

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20 ·But wisdom will help you be good [or Stay on the path of good people]
    and ·do what is right [guard the road of the righteous].

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20 So you will (A)walk in the way of good people
And keep to the (B)paths of the righteous.

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14 Don’t ·follow the ways [go in the way] of the wicked;
    don’t ·do what evil people do [L walk straight on to the path of evil people].
15 Avoid their ways, and don’t ·follow [cross over to] them.
    Stay away from them and keep on going,
16 because they cannot sleep until they do evil.
    ·They cannot rest until they harm someone [L They are robbed of sleep unless they cause people to stumble].
17 They feast on wickedness as if they were eating bread.
    They drink violence as if they were drinking wine.

18 The way of the ·good [righteous] person is like the ·light of dawn [L shining light],
    growing brighter and brighter until full daylight.
19 But the ·wicked walk around in the dark [L path of the wicked is like deep darkness];
    they ·can’t even see what makes them [L don’t know where they will] stumble.

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14 (A)Do not enter the path of the wicked
And do not proceed in the way of evil people.
15 Avoid it, do not pass by it;
Turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they (B)cannot sleep unless they do evil;
And [a]they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.
17 For they (C)eat the bread of wickedness,
And drink the wine of violence.
18 But the (D)path of the righteous is like the (E)light of dawn
That (F)shines brighter and brighter until the (G)full day.
19 The (H)way of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know over what they [b](I)stumble.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 4:16 Lit their sleep is robbed
  2. Proverbs 4:19 Or may stumble

20 ·Spend time [L Walk; Go] with the wise and you will become wise,
but the friends of fools will ·suffer [or get into trouble].

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20 (A)One who walks with wise people will be wise,
But a companion of fools will suffer harm.

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28 A ·useless [perverse] person causes ·trouble [conflicts],
and a gossip ruins close friendships.

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28 A perverse person spreads strife,
And a [a]slanderer separates close friends.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:28 Or gossip

12 It is ·better [safer] to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than to meet a fool doing foolish things.

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12 Let a (A)person meet a (B)bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his foolishness.

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17 A friend loves you all the time,
and a brother ·helps in [L is born for a] time of trouble.

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17 A (A)friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.

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24 Some friends may ruin you,
but a real friend will ·be more loyal [cling closer] than a brother.

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24 A person of too many friends comes to [a]ruin,
But there is (A)a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 18:24 Lit be broken in pieces

Wealthy people are always finding more friends,
but the poor lose all theirs.

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(A)Wealth adds many friends,
But a poor person is separated from his friend.

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Many people ·want to please [L seek the face of] a leader,
and everyone is friends with those who give gifts.

Poor people’s relatives ·avoid [L hate] them;
    ·even [L how much more do] their friends stay far away.
They run after them, begging,
    but they are gone.

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(A)Many will seek the favor of a [a]generous person,
And every person is a friend to (B)him who gives gifts.
All the brothers of a poor person hate him;
How much more do his (C)friends abandon him!
He (D)pursues them with words, but they are [b]gone.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:6 Or noble
  2. Proverbs 19:7 Lit not

19 Gossips ·can’t keep [reveal] secrets,
so avoid people who ·talk too much [L are foolish with their lips].

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19 One who (A)goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets;
Therefore do not associate with [a](B)a gossip.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:19 Lit one who opens his lips

24 Don’t make friends with ·quick-tempered people [people controlled by anger]
    or ·spend time [associate] with those who have bad tempers.
25 If you do, you will ·be like them [learn their ways].
    Then you will ·be in real danger [L get yourself trapped].

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24 Do not make friends with a person given to anger,
Or go with a (A)hot-tempered person,
25 Or you will (B)learn his ways
And [a]find a snare for yourself.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:25 Lit take