Proverbs 28–29

CHAPTER 28

¹The wicked ^aflee when there is no one pursuing,

But the righteous are ¹secure as a lion.

²By the transgression of a land ^amany are its princes,

But ^bby a man who understands, who knows, so it endures.

³A ^apoor man who oppresses the lowly

Is a driving rain ¹which leaves no food.

⁴Those who forsake the law ^apraise the wicked,

But those who keep the law ^bstrive with them.

⁵Evil men ^ado not understand justice,

But those who seek Yahweh ^bunderstand all things.

^6aBetter is the poor who walks in his integrity

Than he who is crooked—¹double dealing—though he be rich.

⁷He who observes the law is a son who understands,

But he who befriends ^agluttons humiliates his father.

⁸He who increases his wealth by ^ainterest and usury

Gathers it ^bfor him who is gracious to the lowly.

⁹He who turns away his ear from listening to the law,

Even his ^aprayer is an abomination.

¹⁰He who leads the upright astray in an evil way

Will ^ahimself fall into his own pit,

But the ^bblameless will inherit good.

¹¹The rich man is ^awise in his own eyes,

But the lowly who understands ¹searches him.

¹²When the ^arighteous exult, there is great honor,

But ^bwhen the wicked rise, man has to be sought out.

¹³He who ^aconceals his transgressions will not prosper,

But he who ^bconfesses and forsakes them will receive compassion.

¹⁴How blessed is the man who ^ais always in dread,

But he who ^bhardens his heart will fall into calamity.

¹⁵Like a ^aroaring lion and a rushing bear

Is a ^bwicked ruler over a poor people.

¹⁶A ^aleader who lacks discernment abounds in oppressions,

But he who hates greedy gain will prolong his days.

¹⁷A man ^aoppressed with ^bthe bloodguilt of life

Will flee until ¹death; let no one uphold him.

¹⁸He who walks blamelessly will be saved,

But he who is ^acrooked—¹double dealing—will fall all at once.

^19aHe who cultivates his ground will be ^bsatisfied with food,

But he who pursues empty things will be satisfied with poverty.

²⁰A ^afaithful man will abound with blessings,

But he who ^bmakes haste to be rich will not go unpunished.

²¹To ^1ashow partiality is not good,

^bEven for a piece of bread a man will transgress.

²²A man with an ^aevil eye ^bhurries after wealth

And does not know that want will come upon him.

²³He who ^areproves a man will afterward find more favor

Than he who ^bflatters with the tongue.

²⁴He who ^arobs his father or his mother

And says, “It is not a transgression,”

Is the ^bcompanion of a man who destroys.

²⁵An ¹arrogant man ^astirs up strife,

But he who ^btrusts in Yahweh ^cwill ²be enriched.

²⁶He who ^atrusts in his own heart is a fool,

But he who walks wisely will escape.

²⁷He who ^agives to the poor will never want,

But he who ¹shuts his eyes will have many curses.

²⁸When the wicked rise, men hide themselves;

But when they perish, the righteous increase.

CHAPTER 29

¹A man who hardens his neck after ^amuch reproof

Will ^bsuddenly be broken ¹beyond healing.

²When the ^arighteous ¹increase, the people are glad,

But when a wicked man rules, people groan.

³A man who ^aloves wisdom makes his father glad,

But he who ^bbefriends harlots destroys his wealth.

⁴By justice the ^aking causes the land to stand,

But a man of bribes tears it down.

⁵A man who ^aflatters his neighbor

Is spreading a net for his steps.

⁶By transgression an evil man is ^aensnared,

But the righteous ^bsings with joy and is glad.

⁷The ^arighteous knows the cause of the poor,

The wicked does not understand that knowledge.

⁸Scoffers ^1aset a city aflame,

But ^bwise men turn away anger.

⁹When a wise man is brought into judgment with a man who is an ignorant fool,

¹The ignorant fool both rages and laughs, and there is no rest.

¹⁰Men of ^abloodshed hate the blameless,

But the upright seek the well-being of his soul.

¹¹A ^afool ¹lets out all of his spirit,

But a ^bwise man holds it back.

¹²If a ^aruler pays attention to a lying word,

All his ministers become wicked.

¹³The ^apoor man and the oppressor meet together in this—

Yahweh gives ^blight to the eyes of both.

¹⁴If a ^aking judges the poor with truth,

His ^bthrone will be established forever.

¹⁵The ^arod and reproof give wisdom,

But a child ¹left to himself ^bbrings shame to his mother.

¹⁶When the wicked ¹increase, transgression increases;

But the ^arighteous will see their fall.

^17aDiscipline your son, and he will give you rest;

And he will ^bgive delight to your soul.

¹⁸Where there is ^ano ¹vision, the people ^bare out of control,

But how ^cblessed is he who keeps the law.

¹⁹A slave will not be corrected by words alone;

For though he understands, there will be no answer.

²⁰Do you behold a man who is ^ahasty in his words?

There is ^bmore hope for a fool than for him.

²¹He who pampers his slave from childhood

Will in the end find him to be ¹arrogant.

²²An ^aangry man stirs up strife,

And a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.

²³A man’s ^alofty pride will bring him low,

But a ^blowly spirit will take hold of glory.

²⁴He who ¹divides the spoil with a thief hates his own soul;

He ^ahears the oath but declares nothing.

^25aTrembling before man ¹brings a snare,

But he who ^btrusts in Yahweh will be set securely on high.

^26aMany seek the face of a ruler,

But ^bjustice for man comes from Yahweh.

²⁷An ^aunjust man is an abomination to the righteous,

And he who is ^bupright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.