Proverbs 4:14-19

A Father's Wise Instruction

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.

1. Cross References
   Proverbs 1:15
   My son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths.
   Psalms 1:1
   Book One Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.
   
2. Cross References
   Psalms 36:4
   He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.
   
3. Cross References
   Amos 2:8
   They lay themselves down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge, and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined.
   
4. Cross References
   Job 11:17
   And your life will be brighter than the noonday; its darkness will be like the morning.
   Job 22:28
   You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways.
   Isaiah 60:3
   And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
   Isaiah 62:1 - 2
   For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch.
   Daniel 12:3
   And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
   
5. Cross References
   2 Samuel 23:4
   He dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.
   Psalms 97:11
   Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.
   
6. Cross References
   Psalms 84:7
   They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.
   
7. Cross References
   1 John 3:2
   Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
   
8. Cross References
   1 Samuel 2:9
   He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.
   Isaiah 59:9 - 10
   Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
   Jeremiah 23:12
   Therefore their way shall be to them like slippery paths in the darkness, into which they shall be driven and fall, for I will bring disaster upon them in the year of their punishment, declares the Lord.
   John 12:35
   So Jesus said to them, "The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.
   Job 18:5
   Indeed, the light of the wicked is put out, and the flame of his fire does not shine.
   
9. Cross References
   Matthew 6:23
   But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
   
10. Cross References
    John 11:10
    But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.
    1 John 2:10
    Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.