Proverbs 28
28
1The wicked man fleeth, when no man pursueth: but the just, bold as a lion, shall be without dread.
2For the sine of the land many are the princes thereof: and for the wisdom of a man, and the knowledge of those things that are said, the life of the prince shall be prolonged.
3A poor man that oppresseth the poor, is like a violent shower, which bringeth a famine.
4They that forsake the law, praise the wicked man: they that keep it, are incensed against him.
5Evil men think not on judgment: but they that seek after the Lord, take notice of all things.
6Better is the poor man walking in his simplicity, than the rich in crooked ways.
7He that keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that feedeth gluttons, shameth his father.
8He that heapeth together riches by usury and loan, gathereth them for him that will be bountiful to the poor.
9He that turneth away his ears from hearing the law, his prayer shall be as abomination.
10He that deceiveth the just in a wicked way, shall fall in his own destruction: and the upright shall possess his goods.
11The rich man seemeth to himself wise: but the poor man that is prudent shall search him out.
12In the joy of the just there is great glory: when the wicked reign, men are ruined.
13He that hideth his sins, shall not prosper: but he that shall confess, and forsake them, shall obtain mercy.
14Blessed is the man that is always fearful: but he that is hardened in mind, shall fall into evil.
15As a roaring lion, and a hungry bear, so is a wicked prince over the poor people.
16A prince void of prudence shall oppress many by calumny: but he that hateth covetousness, shall prolong his days.
17A man that doth violence to the blood of a person, if he flee even to the pit, no man will stay him.
18He that walketh uprightly, shall be saved: he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once.
19He that tilleth his ground, shall be filled with bread: but he that followeth idleness shall be filled with poverty.
20A faithful man shall be much praised: but he that maketh haste to be rich, shall not be innocent.
21He that hath respect to a person in judgment, doth not well: such a man even for a morsel of bread forsaketh the truth.
22A man, that maketh haste to be rich, and envieth others, is ignorant that poverty shall come upon him.
23He that rebuketh a man, shall afterward find favour with him, more than he that by a flattering tongue deceiveth him.
24He that stealeth any thing from his father, or from his mother: and saith, This is no sin, is the partner of a murderer.
25He that boasteth, and puffeth up himself, stirreth up quarrels: but he that trusteth in the Lord, shall be healed.
26He that trusteth in his own heart, is a fool: but he that walketh wisely, he shall be saved.
27He that giveth to the poor, shall not want: he that despiseth his entreaty, shall suffer indigence.
28When the wicked rise up, men shall hide themselves: when they perish, the lust shall be multiplied.
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Proverbs 28: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Proverbs 28
28
1The wicked flee though none pursue;
but the just, like a lion, are confident.
2If a land is rebellious, its princes will be many;
but with an intelligent and wise ruler there is stability.#The first line expresses the paradox that rebellion, far from doing away with rulers, actually multiplies them. The second line is corrupt.
3One who is poor and extorts from the lowly
is a devastating rain that leaves no food.#The reference may be to tax farmers who collected taxes and took a commission. The collectors’ lack of wealth was the cause of their oppression of poor farmers. They are like a rain too violent to allow crops to grow.
4Those who abandon instruction#Instruction: torah; the word is used both for the teaching of the wise and the law of Moses. praise the wicked,
but those who keep instruction oppose them.
5The evil understand nothing of justice,#Understanding nothing of justice plays on the twofold sense of justice as righteousness and as punishment that comes on the wicked. On the other hand, those who seek the Lord understand everything, i.e., that the Lord punishes the wicked and rewards the righteous (themselves).
but those who seek the Lord understand everything.
6Better to be poor and walk in integrity
than rich and crooked in one’s ways.#Prv 19:1.
7Whoever heeds instruction is a wise son,
but whoever joins with wastrels disgraces his father.
8Whoever amasses wealth by interest and overcharge#Interest and overcharge were strictly forbidden in the old law among Israelites because it was presumed that the borrower was in distress; cf. Ex 22:25; Lv 25:35–37; Dt 23:20; Ps 15:5; Ez 18:8. Divine providence will take the offender’s wealth; cf. Eccl 2:26.
gathers it for the one who is kind to the poor.
9Those who turn their ears from hearing instruction,#Prv 15:8; 21:27.
even their prayer is an abomination.
10Those who mislead the upright into an evil way
will themselves fall into their own pit,
but the blameless will attain prosperity.
11The rich are wise in their own eyes,
but the poor who are intelligent see through them.
12When the just triumph, there is great glory;
but when the wicked prevail, people hide.#People react in opposite ways to the triumph of good and evil. To the triumph of good, they react by public display, public celebration, and to the triumph of evil, by hiding.
13Those who conceal their sins do not prosper,
but those who confess and forsake them obtain mercy.#Concealing the faults of another is a good thing in Proverbs (17:9), but concealing one’s own sins is not. Ps 32:1–5 expresses the anguish caused by concealing one’s sins rather than bringing them to light so they can be healed by God.
14Happy those who always fear;#Fear is a different verb than in the phrase “to fear (or revere) the Lord.” In its only other biblical occurrence (Is 51:13), the verb means to dread an oppressor. The saying states a paradox: those who fear in the sense of being cautious are declared happy, whereas those who are fearless will fall into traps they did not “fear.” In short, there is good fear and bad fear.
but those who harden their hearts fall into evil.
15A roaring lion or a ravenous bear
is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
16The less prudent the rulers, the more oppressive their deeds.
Those who hate ill-gotten gain prolong their days.
17Though a person burdened with blood guilt is in flight even to the grave,
let no one offer support.
18Whoever walks blamelessly is safe,
but one whose ways are crooked falls into a pit.
19Those who cultivate their land will have plenty of food,
but those who engage in idle pursuits will have plenty of want.#Prv 12:11.
20The trustworthy will be richly blessed;
but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.#Prv 13:11.
21To show partiality is never good:#Prv 24:23.
for even a morsel of bread one may do wrong.#Cf. 24:23. Verse 21b warns that even in a light matter one must remain impartial.
22Misers hurry toward wealth,
not knowing that want is coming toward them.#“Bad of eye” is the Hebrew idiom for miserly. Misers fail to see that poverty is hurrying toward them because of their wrong attitude toward wealth. Because misers are “bad of eye,” they do not see the danger.
23Whoever rebukes another wins more favor
than one who flatters with the tongue.
24Whoever defrauds father or mother and says, “It is no sin,”#Mk 7:11–13.
is a partner to a brigand.
25The greedy person stirs up strife,
but the one who trusts in the Lord will prosper.
26Those who trust in themselves are fools,
but those who walk in wisdom are safe.
27Those who give to the poor have no lack,#Prv 19:17; Sir 4:3–8.
but those who avert their eyes, many curses.
28When the wicked prevail, people hide;
but at their fall the just abound.#Prv 28:12.
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