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31 Don’t envy violent people
    or copy their ways.
32 Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord,
    but he offers his friendship to the godly.

33 The Lord curses the house of the wicked,
    but he blesses the home of the upright.

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31 Don’t envy violent men. Don’t copy their ways. 32 For such men are an abomination to the Lord, but he gives his friendship to the godly.

33 The curse of God is on the wicked, but his blessing is on the upright.

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14 Don’t do as the wicked do,
    and don’t follow the path of evildoers.
15 Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way.
    Turn away and keep moving.
16 For evil people can’t sleep until they’ve done their evil deed for the day.
    They can’t rest until they’ve caused someone to stumble.
17 They eat the food of wickedness
    and drink the wine of violence!

18 The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
    which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.
19 But the way of the wicked is like total darkness.
    They have no idea what they are stumbling over.

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14 Don’t do as the wicked do. 15 Avoid their haunts—turn away, go somewhere else, 16 for evil men can’t sleep until they’ve done their evil deed for the day. They can’t rest unless they cause someone to stumble and fall. 17 They eat and drink wickedness and violence!

18 But the good man walks along in the ever-brightening light of God’s favor; the dawn gives way to morning splendor, 19 while the evil man gropes and stumbles in the dark.

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22 An evil man is held captive by his own sins;
    they are ropes that catch and hold him.
23 He will die for lack of self-control;
    he will be lost because of his great foolishness.

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22 The wicked man is doomed by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. 23 He shall die because he will not listen to the truth; he has let himself be led away into incredible folly.

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12 What are worthless and wicked people like?
    They are constant liars,
13 signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye,
    a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers.
14 Their perverted hearts plot evil,
    and they constantly stir up trouble.
15 But they will be destroyed suddenly,
    broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing.

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12-13 Let me describe for you a worthless and a wicked man; first, he is a constant liar; he signals his true intentions to his friends with eyes and feet and fingers. 14 He is always thinking up new schemes to swindle people. He stirs up trouble everywhere. 15 But he will be destroyed suddenly, broken beyond hope of healing.

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The godly are showered with blessings;
    the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.

We have happy memories of the godly,
    but the name of a wicked person rots away.

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The good man is covered with blessings from head to foot, but an evil man inwardly curses his luck.[a]

We all have happy memories of good men gone to their reward, but the names of wicked men stink after them.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:6 an evil man inwardly curses his luck, literally, “but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.”

24 The fears of the wicked will be fulfilled;
    the hopes of the godly will be granted.

25 When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away,
    but the godly have a lasting foundation.

26 Lazy people irritate their employers,
    like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes.

27 Fear of the Lord lengthens one’s life,
    but the years of the wicked are cut short.

28 The hopes of the godly result in happiness,
    but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing.

29 The way of the Lord is a stronghold to those with integrity,
    but it destroys the wicked.

30 The godly will never be disturbed,
    but the wicked will be removed from the land.

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24 The wicked man’s fears will all come true and so will the good man’s hopes.

25 Disaster strikes like a cyclone and the wicked are whirled away. But the good man has a strong anchor.

26 A lazy fellow is a pain to his employers—like smoke in their eyes or vinegar that sets the teeth on edge.

27 Reverence for God adds hours to each day;[a] so how can the wicked expect a long, good life?

28 The hope of good men is eternal happiness; the hopes of evil men are all in vain.

29 God protects the upright but destroys the wicked.

30 The good shall never lose God’s blessings, but the wicked shall lose everything.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:27 adds hours to each day, literally, “prolongs days.”

10 The whole city celebrates when the godly succeed;
    they shout for joy when the wicked die.

11 Upright citizens are good for a city and make it prosper,
    but the talk of the wicked tears it apart.

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10 The whole city celebrates a good man’s success—and also the godless man’s death.

11 The good influence of godly citizens causes a city to prosper, but the moral decay of the wicked drives it downhill.

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The plans of the godly are just;
    the advice of the wicked is treacherous.

The words of the wicked are like a murderous ambush,
    but the words of the godly save lives.

The wicked die and disappear,
    but the family of the godly stands firm.

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A good man’s mind is filled with honest thoughts; an evil man’s mind is crammed with lies.

The wicked accuse; the godly defend.

The wicked shall perish; the godly shall stand.

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10 The godly care for their animals,
    but the wicked are always cruel.

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10 A good man is concerned for the welfare of his animals, but even the kindness of godless men is cruel.

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23 The wicked take secret bribes
    to pervert the course of justice.

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23 It is wrong to accept a bribe to twist justice.

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The violence of the wicked sweeps them away,
    because they refuse to do what is just.

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Because the wicked are unfair, their violence boomerangs and destroys them.

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29 The wicked bluff their way through,
    but the virtuous think before they act.

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29 An evil man is stubborn, but a godly man will reconsider.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:29 An evil man is stubborn, but a godly man will reconsider, or “The wicked man is brazen; the godly man is thoughtful.”