Proverbs 1:8-19

¶My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not reject the teaching of your mother. For they are a garland of grace on your head, And chains and ornaments [of gold] around your neck. My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. [Ps 1:1; Eph 5:11] If they say, “Come with us; Let us lie in wait to shed blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause; Let us swallow them alive like Sheol (the place of the dead), Even whole, as those who go down to the pit [of death]; We will find and take all kinds of precious possessions, We will fill our houses with spoil; Throw in your lot with us [they insist]; We will all have one money bag [in common],” My son, do not walk on the road with them; Keep your foot [far] away from their path, For their feet run to evil, And they hurry to shed blood. Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird; But [when these people set a trap for others] they lie in wait for their own blood; They set an ambush for their own lives [and rush to their destruction]. So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; Greed takes away the lives of its possessors. [Prov 15:27; 1 Tim 6:10]