11 Discretion will watch over you,
and understanding will guard you.(A)
12 It will rescue you from the way of evil—
from anyone who says perverse things,
13 from those who abandon the right paths
to walk in ways of darkness,(B)
14 from those who enjoy doing evil(C)
and celebrate perversion,
15 whose paths are crooked,(D)
and whose ways are devious.(E)
16 It will rescue you from a forbidden woman,(F)
from a wayward woman with her flattering talk,(G)
17 who abandons the companion of her youth(H)
and forgets the covenant of her God;
18 for her house sinks down to death
and her ways to the land of the departed spirits.(I)
19 None return who go to her;
none reach the paths of life.(J)
20 So follow the way of the good,(K)
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will inhabit the land,
and those of integrity will remain in it;(L)
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,(M)
and the treacherous ripped out of it.(N)

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11 Discretion will watch over you;
    understanding will protect you,
12 in order to deliver you from the way of evil,[a]
    from a man who speaks devious things—
13 those who forsake the paths of uprightness
    to walk in ways of darkness,
14 those who are happy to do evil,
    for they delight in the deviousness of evil,
15 who are crooked in their ways,[b]
    and devious in their paths;
16 in order to deliver you from a strange woman,
    from a foreign woman who flatters[c] with her sayings,
17 she who forsakes the partner of her youth
    and has forgotten the covenant of her God,
18 for her house sinks to death,
    and to the dead[d] are her paths.
19 Of all who go to her, none shall return,
    nor do they reach paths of life.
20 So that you will walk on the road of those who are good,
    and the paths of those who are righteous you shall keep.
21 For those who are upright will dwell in the land,[e]
    and those who are blameless[f] will remain in it.
22 And those who are wicked will be cut off from the land,
    and those who are treacherous will be uprooted from it.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 2:12 Or “evildoer”
  2. Proverbs 2:15 Literally “that in their ways are crooked”
  3. Proverbs 2:16 Or “makes smooth”
  4. Proverbs 2:18 Or “Rephaim”
  5. Proverbs 2:21 Or “earth”
  6. Proverbs 2:21 Or “innocent”

31 Don’t envy a violent man(A)
or choose any of his ways;
32 for the devious are detestable to the Lord,
but he is a friend[a] to the upright.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 3:32 Or confidential counsel

31 Do not envy a man of violence,
    and do not choose any of his ways,
32 for he who is perverse is an abomination of Yahweh,
    but those who are upright are his confidence.

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The Malicious Man

12 A worthless person,(A) a wicked man
goes around speaking dishonestly,(B)
13 winking(C) his eyes, signaling with his feet,
and gesturing with his fingers.
14 He always plots evil(D) with perversity in his heart;
he stirs up trouble.(E)
15 Therefore calamity will strike him suddenly;
he will be shattered instantly, beyond recovery.(F)

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Against Worthlessness

12 A worthless man, an evil man,
    goes around with deceitful speech.[a]
13 Winking in his eye, shuffling in his foot,
    pointing in his fingers,
14 perversion in his heart, he devises evil;
    at all times he will send out discord.[b]
15 Upon such a man,[c] suddenly shall his calamity come;
    in a moment he will be damaged and there is no healing.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:12 Literally “crookedness of mouth”
  2. Proverbs 6:14 Or “quarrels”
  3. Proverbs 6:15 Literally “thus”
  4. Proverbs 6:15 Or “repair”

Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.(A)

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Blessings belong to the head of the righteous,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

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11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,(A)
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.(B)

12 Hatred stirs up conflicts,
but love covers all offenses.(C)

13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
but a rod is for the back of the one who lacks sense.(D)

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11 A fountain of life is a mouth of righteousness,
    and a mouth of wickedness conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
    but love covers over all offenses.
13 On the lips of one who has understanding, wisdom is found,
    but a rod is for the back of one who lacks sense.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:13 Literally “heart”

18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,
and whoever spreads slander is a fool.(A)

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18 He who conceals hatred has lips of deceit,
    and he who utters slander—he is a fool.

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13 A gossip goes around revealing a secret,
but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.(A)

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13 A gossip walks about telling a secret,
    but the trustworthy in spirit keeps the matter.

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15 A fool’s way is right in his own eyes,(A)
but whoever listens to counsel is wise.

16 A fool’s displeasure is known at once,
but whoever ignores an insult is sensible.(B)

17 Whoever speaks the truth declares what is right,
but a false witness speaks deceit.(C)

18 There is one who speaks rashly,
like a piercing sword;(D)
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.(E)

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15 The way of a fool is upright in his own eyes,
    but he who listens to advice is wise.
16 As for a fool, on that very day[a] he makes his anger known,
    but he who ignores an insult is prudent.
17 He who will speak truth will reveal righteousness,
    but the witness of falsehood, deceit.
18 There is one who speaks rashly, like the thrust of a sword,
    but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:16 Literally “on the day”

16 Every sensible person acts knowledgeably,
but a fool displays his stupidity.(A)

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16 Anyone who is clever will act with intelligence,
    but the fool will display folly.

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27 A worthless person digs up evil,
and his speech is like a scorching fire.(A)

28 A contrary person spreads conflict,
and a gossip separates close friends.(B)

29 A violent person lures his neighbor,(C)
leading him on a path that is not good.(D)

30 The one who narrows his eyes is planning deceptions;
the one who compresses his lips brings about evil.(E)

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27 A man of wickedness concocts evil,
    and his lips are like a scorching fire.
28 A person of perversity will spread dissent,
    and he who whispers separates a close friend.
29 A person of violence will entice his neighbor
    and cause him to walk on a way that is not good.
30 He who winks his eyes does so in order to plan perverse things;
    he who purses his lips will bring evil to pass.

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A wicked person listens to malicious talk;[a]
a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

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Footnotes

  1. 17:4 Lit to lips of iniquity

He who does evil listens to lips of wickedness,
    and the liar gives heed to the tongue of mischief.

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Whoever conceals an offense promotes love,(A)
but whoever gossips about it separates friends.(B)

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He who forgives an affront fosters love,
    but he who waits on a matter will alienate a friend.

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