They waylay only themselves!

Proverbs 1:10-19

10 My son, if sinners entice you,
do not give in to them.

11 If they say, "Come along with us;
let's lie in wait for someone's blood,
let's waylay some harmless soul;

12 let's swallow them alive, like the grave,
and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

13 we will get all sorts of valuable things
and fill our houses with plunder;

14 throw in your lot with us,
and we will share a common purse"-

15 my son, do not go along with them,
do not set foot on their paths;

16 for their feet rush into sin,
they are swift to shed blood.

17 How useless to spread a net
in full view of all the birds!

18 These men lie in wait for their own blood;
they waylay only themselves!

19 Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
it takes away the lives of those who get it.

Verse 15 is bolded as the clear central point of the symmetrical structure of this wise saying.

Verse 17 appears to be mistranslated. It should be something like "birds only see the seed spread on the ground and are trapped in the net". The point is that the birds, like the gangs, only see what can be gained in their unjust and evil act, instead of the trouble that awaits them in pursuing this path.

Cre and I read this tonight before bed. It is strangely poignant.

Cheers - cause I'm so British,
tango