Proverbs 28

¹The wicked flee though no one pursues,

but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

²When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers,

but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order.

³A ruler who oppresses the poor

is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.

⁴Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked,

but those who heed it resist them.

⁵Evildoers do not understand what is right,

but those who seek the Lord understand it fully.

⁶Better the poor whose walk is blameless

than the rich whose ways are perverse.

⁷A discerning son heeds instruction,

but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.

⁸Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor

amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.

⁹If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction,

even their prayers are detestable.

¹⁰Whoever leads the upright along an evil path

will fall into their own trap,

but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.

¹¹The rich are wise in their own eyes;

one who is poor and discerning sees how deluded they are.

¹²When the righteous triumph, there is great elation;

but when the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding.

¹³Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,

but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

¹⁴Blessed is the one who always trembles before God,

but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.

¹⁵Like a roaring lion or a charging bear

is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.

¹⁶A tyrannical ruler practices extortion,

but one who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long reign.

¹⁷Anyone tormented by the guilt of murder

will seek refuge in the grave;

let no one hold them back.

¹⁸The one whose walk is blameless is kept safe,

but the one whose ways are perverse will fall into the pit.

¹⁹Those who work their land will have abundant food,

but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.

²⁰A faithful person will be richly blessed,

but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.

²¹To show partiality is not good—

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

²²The stingy are eager to get rich

and are unaware that poverty awaits them.

²³Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor

rather than one who has a flattering tongue.

²⁴Whoever robs their father or mother

and says, “It’s not wrong,”

is partner to one who destroys.

²⁵The greedy stir up conflict,

but those who trust in the Lord will prosper.

²⁶Those who trust in themselves are fools,

but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.

²⁷Those who give to the poor will lack nothing,

but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.

²⁸When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding;

but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive.