Proverbs 28

Proverbs 28

¹The wicked flee when no one pursues,[#Lev 26.17; Ps 53.5]

but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

²When a land rebels[#Prov 11.11]

it has many rulers;

but with an intelligent person, honesty endures.

³A poor person who oppresses the poor[#Mt 18.28]

is a beating rain that leaves no food.

⁴Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,[#1 Kings 18.18; Rom 1.32]

but those who keep the law struggle against them.

⁵The evil do not understand justice,[#Ps 92.6; Jn 7.17; 1 Cor 2.15]

but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.

⁶Better to be poor and walk in integrity[#v 18 ; Prov 19.1]

than to be crooked in one’s ways even though rich.

⁷Those who keep the law are wise children,[#Prov 23.20]

but companions of gluttons shame their parents.

⁸One who augments wealth by exorbitant interest[#Lev 25.36; Prov 13.22; 14.31]

gathers it for another who is kind to the poor.

⁹When one will not listen to the law,[#Ps 66.18; Prov 15.8]

even one’s prayers are an abomination.

¹⁰Those who mislead the upright into evil ways[#Prov 26.27; Mt 6.33; Heb 6.12]

will fall into pits of their own making,

but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.

¹¹The rich is wise in self-esteem,[#Prov 18.17; 26.5, 12]

but an intelligent poor person sees through the pose.

¹²When the righteous rejoice, there is great glory,[#Prov 11.10; Eccl 10.5, 6]

but when the wicked prevail, people go into hiding.

¹³No one who conceals transgressions will prosper,[#Ps 32.3, 5]

but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

¹⁴Happy is the one who is never without fear,[#Ps 16.8; Rom 2.5]

but one who is hard-hearted will fall into calamity.

¹⁵Like a roaring lion or a charging bear[#Mt 2.16; 1 Pet 5.8]

is a wicked ruler over a poor people.

¹⁶A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,

but one who hates unjust gain will enjoy a long life.

¹⁷If someone is burdened with the blood of another,[#Gen 9.6; Ex 21.14]

let that killer be a fugitive until death;

let no one offer assistance.

¹⁸One who walks in integrity will be safe,[#v 6 ; Prov 10.9, 25]

but whoever follows crooked ways will fall into the Pit.

¹⁹Anyone who tills the land will have plenty of bread,[#Prov 12.11]

but one who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

²⁰The faithful will abound with blessings,[#v 22 ; Prov 10.6; 1 Tim 6.9]

but one who is in a hurry to be rich will not go unpunished.

²¹To show partiality is not good,

yet for a piece of bread a person may do wrong.

²²The miser is in a hurry to get rich

and does not know that loss is sure to come.

²³Whoever rebukes a person will afterward find more favor[#Prov 27.5, 6]

than one who flatters with the tongue.

²⁴Anyone who robs father or mother[#Prov 18.9; 19.26]

and says, “That is no crime,”

is partner to a thug.

²⁵The greedy person stirs up strife,[#Prov 15.18; 29.25]

but whoever trusts in the Lord will be enriched.

²⁶Those who trust in their own wits are fools,

but those who walk in wisdom come through safely.

²⁷Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing,[#Deut 15.7; Prov 19.17; 21.13]

but one who turns a blind eye will get many a curse.

²⁸When the wicked prevail, people go into hiding,

but when they perish, the righteous increase.