“Avoid it; do not go on it”: “Avoid” here means to shun or keep away from, and “it” refers to the path or way of evildoers. In translation it may be necessary to say, for example, “Stay away from their path” or “Do not walk on it.” If the figure must be changed to an expression of the meaning in plain terms, we may say, for example, “Avoid their way of life” or “Do not live the way they live.” “Do not go on it” repeats the first command to avoid the path of evil people. We may translate, for example, “do not walk where they walk” or “do not go where they go.”

“Turn away from it and pass on”: If in your language “turn away from” in this context has a meaning that is different from “avoid,” “refuse,” or “reject,” then another suitable figure or an expression of the meaning in plain terms should be used. It may be possible to say, for example, “Refuse their kind of life,” “Keep away from. . .,” or “Hold back from. . ..” “Pass on” continues the image of movement away from evil people’s influence, which may be expressed nonfiguratively, for example, “Pay no attention to them” or “Think nothing more of them.”

The series of four imperatives in this verse makes a strong impact as the climax of the warning to avoid the ways of evil people. Translators should be able to reproduce this in most languages; one typical rendering is “Don’t go this way! Keep away from these bad things! Leave them! Go only on your own way!”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .