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14 Do not enter the path of the wicked,
    and do not walk in the way of evildoers.(A)
15 Avoid it; do not go on it;
    turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
    they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.(B)
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness
    and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
    which shines brighter and brighter until full day.(C)
19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
    they do not know what they stumble over.(D)

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14 Do not travel on the path of the wicked.
Do not walk in the way of evil people.
15 Avoid it! Do not travel on it!
Turn away from it. Pass it by.
16 For they cannot sleep
    unless they have been doing wrong,
and they are robbed of sleep
    unless they are making someone stumble,
17 because wickedness is the food they eat,
and violence is the wine they drink.
18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
shining brighter and brighter until it is day.
19 The way of the wicked is like gloomy darkness.
They never know where they will stumble.

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20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
    but the companion of fools suffers harm.(A)

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20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
but a companion of fools suffers harm.

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Leave the presence of a fool,
    for there you do not find words of knowledge.

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Keep away from a foolish person,
since you will not learn anything from his lips.

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19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit among the poor
    than to divide the spoil with the proud.

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19 Better to share a humble spirit with the oppressed
    than to share stolen goods with the haughty.

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19 A gossip reveals secrets;
    therefore do not associate with a babbler.(A)

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19 A person who goes around spreading gossip reveals secrets,
so do not associate with anyone whose lips are always open.

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Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
    the cautious will keep far from them.(A)

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Thorns and traps are on the road followed by the crooked.
Whoever guards his soul[a] will stay far away from them.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:5 Or his life

24 Make no friends with those given to anger,
    and do not associate with hotheads,
25 lest you learn their ways
    and entangle yourself in a snare.

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24 Do not be friends with a hothead.
Do not go along with someone who has a hot temper.
25 If you do, you will learn his ways
and set a trap for yourself.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:25 Or for your soul

Do not eat the bread of the stingy;
    do not desire their delicacies,(A)
for like a hair in the throat, so are they.[a]
    “Eat and drink!” they say to you,
    but they do not mean it.(B)
You will vomit up the little you have eaten,
    and you will waste your pleasant words.

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Footnotes

  1. 23.7 Meaning of Heb uncertain

Do not eat the food of a miser.
Do not crave his delicious food,
because he is calculating how much things cost him.
So when he says to you, “Eat and drink,”
he does not mean it.
You will vomit up the little bit you ate
and spoil your pleasant conversation.

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20 Do not be among winebibbers
    or among gluttonous eaters of meat,(A)
21 for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
    and drowsiness will clothe them with rags.(B)

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20 Do not be among those who drink too much wine,
or those who eat too much meat,
21 because a drunk and a glutton will become poor,
and drunken stupor dresses a person in rags.

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24 Do not envy the wicked,
    nor desire to be with them,(A)
for their minds devise violence,
    and their lips talk of mischief.(B)

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24 Do not envy evil people,
and do not wish to be with them,
because their hearts plan violence,
and their lips speak trouble.

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21 My child, fear the Lord and the king,
    and do not disobey either of them,[a](A)
22 for disaster comes from them suddenly,
    and who knows the ruin that both can bring?

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Footnotes

  1. 24.21 Gk: Heb do not associate with those who change

21 Fear the Lord, my son, and also the king.
Do not associate with those who are rebellious,
22 because their disaster will take place suddenly.
Who knows what ruin the Lord and the king will cause?

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