Proverbs 1:8-19

Complete Jewish Bible

⁸ My son, heed the discipline of your father,
and do not abandon the teaching of your mother;
⁹ they will be a garland to grace your head,
a medal of honor for your neck.

¹⁰ My son, if sinners entice you,
don’t go along with them.
¹¹ Suppose they say, “Come with us:
we’ll ambush somebody and kill him,
we’ll waylay some harmless soul, just for fun;
¹² we’ll swallow him alive, like Sh’ol,
whole, like those who descend to the pit;
¹³ we’ll find everything he has of value,
we’ll fill our homes with loot!
¹⁴ Throw in your lot with us;
we’ll share a common purse” —
¹⁵ my son, don’t go along with them,
don’t set foot on their path;
¹⁶ Their feet run to evil,
they rush to shed blood.
¹⁷ For in vain is the net baited
if any bird can see it;
¹⁸ rather, they are ambushing themselves
to shed their own blood, waylaying themselves.
¹⁹ So are the ways of all greedy for gain —
it takes the lives of those who get it.