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\(^{22}\) For my people are foolish; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are ‘wise’—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not.

This verse echoes a similar thought to passages like in Genesis where Adam and Eve were prohibited from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Also in Ecclesiastes 4 where we are told that an unborn baby is better off than both the living and the dead for having not seen the evil done under the sun. All these passages tell us that we are better off being ignorant of evil, especially in how to do evil. God calls wisdom in doing evil foolishness. We should never envy a wicked person. We shouldn’t think ourselves foolish for being taken in by evil people if we are naive. Sinning is the greatest foolishness, no matter how cleverly it is done. It is better to be duped than to dupe someone else.