Proverbs 4:15
New International Version
Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.

New Living Translation
Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way. Turn away and keep moving.

English Standard Version
Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.

Berean Standard Bible
Avoid it; do not travel on it. Turn from it and pass on by.

King James Bible
Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

New King James Version
Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on.

New American Standard Bible
Avoid it, do not pass by it; Turn away from it and pass on.

NASB 1995
Avoid it, do not pass by it; Turn away from it and pass on.

NASB 1977
Avoid it, do not pass by it; Turn away from it and pass on.

Legacy Standard Bible
Avoid it, do not pass by it; Stray from it and pass on.

Amplified Bible
Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on.

Christian Standard Bible
Avoid it; don’t travel on it. Turn away from it, and pass it by.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Avoid it; don’t travel on it. Turn away from it, and pass it by.

American Standard Version
Avoid it, pass not by it; Turn from it, and pass on.

Contemporary English Version
Turn aside and keep going. Stay away from them.

English Revised Version
Avoid it, pass not by it; turn from it, and pass on.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Avoid it. Do not walk near it. Turn away from it, and keep on walking.

Good News Translation
Don't do it! Keep away from evil! Refuse it and go on your way.

International Standard Version
Avoid it! Don't travel on it! Turn away from it, and pass on by.

Majority Standard Bible
Avoid it; do not travel on it. Turn from it and pass on by.

NET Bible
Avoid it, do not go on it; turn away from it, and go on.

New Heart English Bible
Avoid it, and do not pass by it. Turn from it, and pass on.

Webster's Bible Translation
Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

World English Bible
Avoid it, and don’t pass by it. Turn from it, and pass on.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Avoid it, do not pass over into it, "" Turn aside from it, and pass on.

Young's Literal Translation
Avoid it, pass not over into it, Turn aside from it, and pass on.

Smith's Literal Translation
Reject it, thou shalt not pass in it; turn aside from it and pass by.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside, and forsake it.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Take flight from it. Do not pass close to it. Turn away and abandon it.

New American Bible
Shun it, do not cross it, turn aside from it, pass on.

New Revised Standard Version
Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The place where they dwell, do not pass by it, turn away from it,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Do not pass through the place where they dwell, but turn aside and pass from it.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Avoid it, pass not by it; Turn from it, and pass on.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
In whatever place they shall pitch their camp, go not thither; but turn from them, and pass away.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Father's Instruction
14Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. 15Avoid it; do not travel on it. Turn from it and pass on by. 16For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall.…

Cross References
Psalm 1:1
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.

1 Corinthians 15:33
Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

Ephesians 5:11
Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

Romans 16:17
Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.

2 Corinthians 6:14-17
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? / What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? / What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” ...

1 Thessalonians 5:22
Abstain from every form of evil.

2 Timothy 2:22
Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Matthew 7:13-14
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. / But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.

James 4:7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. / For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world. / The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever.

Psalm 119:101
I have kept my feet from every evil path, that I may keep Your word.

Isaiah 1:16-17
Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil! / Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.”

Jeremiah 15:17
I never sat with the band of revelers, nor did I celebrate with them. Because Your hand was on me, I sat alone, for You have filled me with indignation.

Job 31:1
“I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin?


Treasury of Scripture

Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

Proverbs 5:8
Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:

Proverbs 6:5
Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

Exodus 23:7
Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.

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Proverbs 4
1. persuades to wisdom
14. and to show wickedness
20. He exhorts to sanctification














Avoid it
The Hebrew word for "avoid" is "פָּרַע" (para), which conveys the idea of letting go or neglecting. In the context of this verse, it emphasizes a deliberate and conscious decision to steer clear of the path of wickedness. This is not a passive avoidance but an active choice to distance oneself from evil. Historically, the Israelites were often warned against adopting the practices of surrounding nations, which were contrary to God's commandments. This phrase serves as a reminder to Christians today to be vigilant and intentional in avoiding sin and temptation.

do not travel on it
The phrase "do not travel on it" uses the Hebrew verb "עָבַר" (avar), meaning to pass over or through. This suggests a journey or a path one might take. In ancient times, roads and paths were significant as they connected cities and facilitated trade and communication. Spiritually, this phrase warns against embarking on a journey that leads away from righteousness. It calls believers to be mindful of the direction their lives are taking and to ensure they are not walking in the counsel of the wicked, as echoed in Psalm 1:1.

Turn from it
The Hebrew word "סוּר" (sur) means to turn aside or depart. This action is more than just avoiding; it involves a decisive change in direction. In the biblical context, repentance is often described as turning away from sin and turning towards God. This phrase encourages believers to actively reject the path of sin and to realign their lives with God's will. It is a call to repentance and transformation, urging Christians to seek God's guidance and strength in making righteous choices.

and pass on by
The phrase "pass on by" uses the Hebrew "עָבַר" (avar) again, but here it implies moving forward without engaging. It suggests a sense of progress and forward movement, leaving behind what is harmful or sinful. In the historical context, this could relate to the Israelites' journey through the wilderness, where they were instructed to pass by certain territories without engaging in conflict. For Christians, this phrase serves as an encouragement to keep moving forward in their spiritual journey, focusing on their relationship with God and not being distracted or entangled by sin.

Verse 15. - Avoid it; p'raehu, the kal imperative of para, properly, "to let go," hence "to reject, or abhor." (On the verb, see Proverbs 1:25, where it is rendered, "set at naught.") The same verb also occurs in Proverbs 8:33; Proverbs 13:18; Proverbs 15:32. It; i.e. the way. The suffix of the verb in the original is feminine, "avoid her;" derek, "the way," being common. Turn from it (s'teh mealayv). The original is a pregnant expression equivalent to "turn aside from it, so that you do not come to stand upon it." The word mealayv, equivalent to the Latin desuper ea, has much the same force as the French de dessus and the Italian di sopra (Delitzsch). The verb satah is, as in the Authorized Version, "to turn, or go aside." Pass away; avor, kal imperative of avar, "to pass over," equivalent to Latin transire, here means "to pass on, or along," "to go beyond," like the German Ger weiter gehn. The counsel of the father is not only "turn aside from," but "put the greatest possible distance between you and it." The injunction, so absolutely stated, to have nothing to do with sin, is required, if not indeed prompted, by the knowledge of the fact that youth, confident in its own power of resistance, frequently indulges in the fatal mistake of imagining that it can dally with sin with impunity. The only course compatible with safety is to entirely avoid it.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Avoid it;
פְּרָעֵ֥הוּ (pə·rā·‘ê·hū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6544: To loosen, to expose, dismiss, absolve, begin

do not
אַל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

travel on it.
תַּעֲבָר־ (ta·‘ă·ḇār-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 5674: To pass over, through, or by, pass on

Turn
שְׂטֵ֖ה (śə·ṭêh)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 7847: To deviate from duty

from it
מֵעָלָ֣יו (mê·‘ā·lāw)
Preposition-m | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

and pass on by.
וַעֲבֽוֹר׃ (wa·‘ă·ḇō·wr)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5674: To pass over, through, or by, pass on


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 4:15 Avoid it and don't pass by it (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 4:14
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