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

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14 Don’t set foot on the path of the wicked;(A)
don’t proceed in the way of evil ones.
15 Avoid it; don’t travel on it.
Turn away from it, and pass it by.
16 For they can’t sleep
unless they have done what is evil;
they are robbed of sleep
unless they make someone stumble.(B)
17 They eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
18 The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,(C)
shining brighter and brighter until midday.
19 But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom;(D)
they don’t know what makes them stumble.(E)

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20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
    but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

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20 The one who walks with the wise will become wise,
but a companion of fools will suffer harm.

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

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Stay away from a foolish man;
you will gain no knowledge from his speech.(A)

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19 (A)It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor
    than to (B)divide the spoil with the proud.

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19 Better to be lowly of spirit with the humble[a](A)
than to divide plunder with the proud.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:19 Alt Hb tradition reads afflicted

19 Whoever (A)goes about slandering reveals secrets;
    therefore do not associate with (B)a simple babbler.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:19 Hebrew with one who is simple in his lips

19 The one who reveals secrets is a constant gossip;(A)
avoid someone with a big mouth.(B)

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(A)Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked;
    whoever (B)guards his soul will keep far from them.

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There are thorns and snares on the path of the crooked;(A)
the one who guards himself stays far from them.

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24 Make no friendship with a man given to anger,
    nor go with a wrathful man,
25 lest you learn his ways
    and entangle yourself in a snare.

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24 Don’t make friends with an angry man,[a]
and don’t be a companion of a hot-tempered man,(A)
25 or you will learn his ways(B)
and entangle yourself in a snare.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:24 Lit with a master of anger

(A)Do not eat the bread of a man who is (B)stingy;[a]
    (C)do not desire his delicacies,
for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.[b]
    “Eat and drink!” he says to you,
    but his (D)heart is not with you.
You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten,
    and waste your pleasant words.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:6 Hebrew whose eye is evil
  2. Proverbs 23:7 Or for as he calculates in his soul, so is he

Don’t eat a stingy person’s bread,[a](A)
and don’t desire his choice food,(B)
for it’s like someone calculating inwardly.[b](C)
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.(D)
You will vomit the little you’ve eaten
and waste your pleasant words.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:6 Lit eat bread of an evil eye
  2. Proverbs 23:7 LXX reads it is like someone swallowing a hair in the throat

20 Be not among (A)drunkards[a]
    or among (B)gluttonous eaters of meat,
21 for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
    and (C)slumber will clothe them with rags.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:20 Hebrew those who drink too much wine

20 Don’t associate with those who drink too much wine(A)
or with those who gorge themselves on meat.(B)
21 For the drunkard and the glutton will become poor,
and grogginess will clothe them in rags.(C)

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24 Be not (A)envious of evil men,
    nor desire to be (B)with them,
for their hearts (C)devise violence,
    and their lips (D)talk of trouble.

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24 Don’t envy evil men(A)
or desire to be with them,(B)
for their hearts plan violence,
and their words stir up trouble.(C)

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21 My son, (A)fear the Lord and the king,
    and do not join with those who do otherwise,
22 for disaster will arise suddenly from them,
    and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?

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21 My son, fear the Lord, as well as the king,(A)
and don’t associate with rebels,[a]
22 for destruction from them will come suddenly;
who knows what distress these two can bring?

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:21 Or those given to change