Proverbs 28

1 An ungodly person flees when no one pursues, but the righteous are confident like a lion.

2 Disputes arise because of the sins of the ungodly, but a shrewd person will extinguish them.

3 A person bold in ungodliness oppresses the poor. Like a driving and useless rain,

4 so those who abandon the law praise ungodliness, but those who love the law surround themselves with a wall.

5 Evil people will not understand judgment, but those who seek the Lord will understand everything.

6 A poor person who walks in truth is better than a rich liar.

7 An understanding son guards the law, but whoever shepherds wasteful living dishonors his father.

8 Whoever increases his wealth through interest and unjust gains gathers it for the person who shows mercy to the poor.

9 Whoever turns his ear away from hearing the law makes even his own prayer a detestable thing.

10 Whoever leads the upright astray onto an evil road will himself fall into destruction. The lawless will pass through good things but will not enter them.

11 A rich person is wise in his own eyes, but an understanding poor person will condemn him.

12 Great glory comes through the help of the righteous, but people are captured in the places of the ungodly.

13 Whoever covers his own ungodliness will not prosper, but whoever openly acknowledges correction will be loved.

14 Blessed is the person who is cautious about everything through reverence, but the hardhearted will fall into evils.

15 Like a hungry lion and a thirsty wolf is a poor person who rules over a needy nation.

16 A king in need of revenue is a great oppressor, but whoever hates injustice will live a long time.

17 Whoever guarantees a person charged with murder will become an exile and will not be safe. Discipline your son, and he will love you and bring honor to your soul. Do not obey a lawbreaking nation.

18 Whoever walks righteously receives help, but whoever walks crooked roads will become entangled.

19 Whoever works his own land will be filled with bread, but whoever pursues idleness will be filled with poverty.

20 A trustworthy person will receive many blessings, but an evil person will not go unpunished.

21 Whoever does not respect the presence of the righteous is not good; such a person will sell a man for a morsel of bread.

22 An envious person rushes to become rich and does not know that a merciful person will master him.

23 Whoever corrects a person’s ways will receive more favor than one who flatters with the tongue.

24 Whoever casts off father or mother and thinks he is not sinning is a partner of an ungodly person.

25 An insatiable person judges rashly, but whoever trusts in the Lord will act with care.

26 Whoever trusts a bold heart is a fool, but whoever walks in wisdom will be saved.

27 Whoever gives to the poor will not be in need, but whoever turns his eyes away will be in great distress.

28 The righteous groan in the places of the ungodly, but when the ungodly perish, the righteous will multiply.