Proverbs 2:13
New International Version
who have left the straight paths to walk in dark ways,

New Living Translation
These men turn from the right way to walk down dark paths.

English Standard Version
who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness,

Berean Standard Bible
from those who leave the straight paths to walk in the ways of darkness,

King James Bible
Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

New King James Version
From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness;

New American Standard Bible
From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness;

NASB 1995
From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness;

NASB 1977
From those who leave the paths of uprightness, To walk in the ways of darkness;

Legacy Standard Bible
From those who forsake the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness;

Amplified Bible
From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness;

Christian Standard Bible
from those who abandon the right paths to walk in ways of darkness,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
from those who abandon the right paths to walk in ways of darkness,

American Standard Version
Who forsake the paths of uprightness, To walk in the ways of darkness;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Who leave the upright way and they walk in the way of darkness.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Alas for those who forsake right paths, to walk in ways of darkness;

Contemporary English Version
who turned from doing good to live in the darkness.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Who leave the right way, and walk by dark ways:

English Revised Version
Who forsake the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
from those who abandon the paths of righteousness to walk the ways of darkness,

Good News Translation
those who have abandoned a righteous life to live in the darkness of sin,

International Standard Version
and from those who abandon the right path to travel along the ways of darkness;

JPS Tanakh 1917
Who leave the paths of uprightness, To walk in the ways of darkness;

Literal Standard Version
Who are forsaking paths of uprightness, | To walk in ways of darkness,

Majority Standard Bible
from those who leave the straight paths to walk in the ways of darkness,

New American Bible
From those who have left the straight paths to walk in the ways of darkness,

NET Bible
who leave the upright paths to walk on the dark ways,

New Revised Standard Version
who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness,

New Heart English Bible
who forsake the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

Webster's Bible Translation
Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

World English Bible
who forsake the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness,

Young's Literal Translation
Who are forsaking paths of uprightness, To walk in ways of darkness,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Benefits of Wisdom
12to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perversity, 13from those who leave the straight paths to walk in the ways of darkness, 14from those who enjoy doing evil and rejoice in the twistedness of evil,…

Cross References
John 3:19
And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil.

John 3:20
Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

Psalm 82:5
They do not know or understand; they wander in the darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

Proverbs 4:19
But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble.

Proverbs 21:16
The man who strays from the path of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead.


Treasury of Scripture

Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

leave

Proverbs 21:16
The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.

Psalm 14:3
They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Ezekiel 18:26
When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.

walk

Proverbs 4:19
The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

Job 24:13-16
They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof…

John 3:19,20
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil…

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Proverbs 2
1. wisdom promises godliness to her children
10. and safety from evil company
20. and direction in good ways














Verse 13. - Who leave the paths of uprightness. Between vers. 13 and 15 the teacher proceeds to give a more detailed description of those who speak perversely. Who leave (הַעֹזְבִים haoz'vim); literally, forsaking, but the present participle has the force of the preterite, as appears from the context. The men alluded to have already forsaken or deserted the paths of uprightness (see previous note on the word "man." The paths of uprightness (אָרְחות יֹשֶׁר ar'khoth yosher); the same as the "right paths" of ch. 4:11. The strict meaning of the Hebrew word translated "uprightness" is "straightness," and hence it stands opposed to "perverseness" in the previous verse. Uprightness is integrity, rectitude, honest dealing. The LXX. translators represent the forsaking of the paths of uprightness as a consequence resulting from walking in the ways of darkness, "O ye who have left the right ways by departing [τοῦ πορεύεσβαι, equivalent to abeundo] into the ways of darkness." Again, the ways of darkness (דַרְכֵי חשֶׁך, dar'chey kkoshek) are opposed to the "paths of uprightness" which rejoice in the light. Darkness includes the two ideas of

(1) ignorance and error (Isaiah 9:2; Ephesians 5:8), and

(2) evil deeds.

To walk in the ways of darkness, then, is to persist in a course of wilful ignorance, to reject deliberately the light of knowledge, and to work wickedness, by performing "the works of darkness (τὰ ἔργα τοῦ σκύτους)," which St. Paul exhorted the Church at Rome to east away (Romans 13:12), and by having fellowship with "the unfruitful works of darkness (τὰ ἔργα τὰ ἀκάρπα τοῦ σκότους)," against which the same apostle warned the Ephesians (Ephesians 5:11). They are ways of darkness, because they endeavour to hide themselves from God (Isaiah 29:15) and from man (Job 24:15; Job 38:13, 15). In their tendency and end they lead to the blackness of darkness forever. In Scripture darkness is associated with evil, just as light is with uprightness (see John 3:19, 20). The same association of ideas is discoverable in the dualism of the Persian system, as formulated by Zoroaster - Ormuzd, the good principle, presides over the kingdom of light, while Ahriman, the principle of evil, is the ruler of the kingdom of darkness.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
from those who leave
הַ֭עֹ֣זְבִים (ha·‘ō·zə·ḇîm)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 5800: To loosen, relinquish, permit

the straight
יֹ֑שֶׁר (yō·šer)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3476: Straightness, uprightness

paths
אָרְח֣וֹת (’ā·rə·ḥō·wṯ)
Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 734: A well-trodden road, a caravan

to walk
לָ֝לֶ֗כֶת (lā·le·ḵeṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

in the ways
בְּדַרְכֵי־ (bə·ḏar·ḵê-)
Preposition-b | Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action

of darkness,
חֹֽשֶׁךְ׃ (ḥō·šeḵ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2822: The dark, darkness, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 2:13 Who forsake the paths of uprightness (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 2:12
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