Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men.  Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way (Proverbs 4:14-15).

The lack of ambiguity in this Proverb is delightful.  Its repetition makes its message perfectly clear.  I realize that, to an extent, the repetitive rephrasing of successive lines is something of a poetic device of Hebrew literature -- but there also seems to be something instructive in the reiteration.  Proverbs 4:14-15 clearly instructs us to stay away from evil; wickedness is not a highway that we want to be traveling.

But then verse 15 drives the point home brilliantly.

First, it reminds us (again) to simply avoid the way of the wicked.  Just save yourself the trouble, and don't even go there.  Don't even touch it with a 10-foot pole.  Avoid it like the plague.

But... if you should somehow, inadvertently, find yourself on the Highway to Hell -- do not travel on it.  The fact is that we all make mistakes and put ourselves in harm's way, either because of our ignorance or because of our foolish tendencies to tempt fate.  But if, for any reason, you've found an on-ramp to the highway -- do not travel on it.  Throw the vehicle in reverse, make an immediate U-turn -- do whatever you have to do to ensure that you don't travel anywhere on that most slippery of slopes.

But... if you should somehow, maybe even accidentally, find yourself caught up in the flow of traffic, merging onto the highway of wickedness -- turn from it.  Get out of there.  Take the first exit you can find, and chart a new course as soon as possible.  We don't have to be fatalistic.  There's always time to turn and start over again.  If you've found yourself caught up with unsavory characters, doing something stupid -- it doesn't matter.  Now is the time to make a better decision.

When it comes to the path of the wicked:  avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.