Proverbs 4:14 (YLT)

Passage

Into the path of the wicked enter not, And be not happy in a way of evil doers.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 4:12 In thy walking thy step is not straitened, And if thou runnest, thou stumblest not.

Proverbs 4:13 Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, Keep her, for she <FI>is<Fi> thy life.

Proverbs 4:14 Into the path of the wicked enter not, And be not happy in a way of evil doers.

Proverbs 4:15 Avoid it, pass not over into it, Turn aside from it, and pass on.

Proverbs 4:16 For they sleep not if they do not evil, And their sleep hath been taken violently away, If they cause not <FI>some<Fi> to stumble.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "path", "wicked", "enter", "happy", "evil", and "doers". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "path" and "wicked", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Lay hold on instruction do not desist..." into verse 15's "Avoid it pass not over into it...", so "path" and "wicked" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "path" and "wicked" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.