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Proverbs 28
English Standard Version
Proverbs 28
English Standard Version
28 (A)The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but (B)the righteous are bold as a lion.
2 When a land transgresses, (C)it has many rulers,
but with a man of understanding and knowledge,
its stability will long continue.
3 (D)A poor man who oppresses the poor
is a beating rain that leaves no food.
4 Those who forsake the law (E)praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law (F)strive against them.
5 Evil men (G)do not understand justice,
but those who seek the Lord (H)understand it completely.
6 (I)Better is a poor man who (J)walks in his integrity
than a rich man who is (K)crooked in his ways.
7 The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding,
but (L)a companion of gluttons shames his father.
8 Whoever multiplies his wealth (M)by interest and profit[a]
(N)gathers it for him who is (O)generous to the poor.
9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,
even his (P)prayer is an abomination.
10 Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way
(Q)will fall into his own pit,
but the blameless (R)will have a goodly inheritance.
11 A rich man is wise in his (S)own eyes,
but a poor man who has understanding (T)will find him out.
12 When (U)the righteous triumph, there is great glory,
but when (V)the wicked rise, people hide themselves.
13 Whoever (W)conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who (X)confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
14 Blessed is the one who (Y)fears the Lord[b] always,
but whoever (Z)hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
15 Like (AA)a roaring lion or (AB)a charging bear
is (AC)a wicked ruler over a poor people.
16 A ruler who (AD)lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,
but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.
17 If one is burdened with (AE)the blood of another,
he will be a fugitive until death;[c]
let no one help him.
18 (AF)Whoever (AG)walks in integrity will be delivered,
but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.
19 (AH)Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
20 A faithful man will abound with blessings,
but whoever hastens to be rich (AI)will not go unpunished.
21 To show (AJ)partiality is not good,
but for (AK)a piece of bread a man will do wrong.
22 A (AL)stingy man[d] (AM)hastens after wealth
and does not know that (AN)poverty will come upon him.
23 Whoever (AO)rebukes a man will afterward find more favor
than (AP)he who flatters with his tongue.
24 Whoever robs his father or his mother
and says, “That is no transgression,”
is (AQ)a companion to a man who destroys.
25 A greedy man (AR)stirs up strife,
but the one who trusts in the Lord will (AS)be enriched.
26 Whoever (AT)trusts in his own mind is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.
27 Whoever (AU)gives to the poor will not want,
but he who (AV)hides his eyes will get many a curse.
28 When (AW)the wicked rise, (AX)people hide themselves,
but when they perish, the righteous increase.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 28:8 That is, profit that comes from charging interest to the poor
- Proverbs 28:14 Hebrew lacks the Lord
- Proverbs 28:17 Hebrew until the pit
- Proverbs 28:22 Hebrew A man whose eye is evil
Proverbs 28
International Standard Version
Proverbs 28
International Standard Version
Contrasting Good and Evil
28 The wicked flee, though no one pursues,
but the righteous are bold like a lion.
2 When a land transgresses,
it gains a succession of leaders,
but with an understanding and knowledgeable man,
its stability endures.
3 A poor man who oppresses the weak
is like a rainstorm that destroys all[a] the crops.
4 Those who forsake the Law praise the wicked,
but whoever keeps it[b] fights them.
5 Evil men don’t understand justice,
but whoever seeks the Lord understands it all.
6 It’s better to be poor and live a blameless life
than to be rich but crooked in one’s lifestyle.
7 Whoever keeps the Law is a discerning son,
but whoever keeps company with gluttons
brings shame to his father.
8 Whoever gains wealth by charging exorbitant[c] interest
collects it for someone who is kind to the poor.
9 If someone quits[d] listening to the Law
even his prayer is detestable.
10 Whoever misleads the upright along an evil way
will himself fall into his own pit,
but the blameless will inherit what is good.
11 The rich man may be wise in his own opinion;
but a discerning, poor man sees through him.
12 When the righteous are victorious, there is great glory,
but when the wicked arise, men hide themselves.
13 Whoever hides his transgressions will not succeed,
but whoever confesses and forsakes them will find mercy.
14 Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord,[e]
but whoever hardens his heart will fall into disaster.
15 A roaring lion and a charging bear—
that’s what a wicked tyrant is over poor people.
16 A Commander-in-Chief[f] who is a cruel oppressor lacks understanding,
but whoever hates unjust gain will live longer.[g]
17 A guilty man tormented by bloodshed
will be a lifelong fugitive;
let no one support him.
18 Whoever lives blamelessly will be delivered,
but whoever is perverted will fall without warning.
19 Whoever works his farmland will have abundant food,
but whoever chases fantasies will become very poor.
20 The faithful man will prosper with blessings,
but whoever is in a hurry to get rich
will not escape punishment.
21 To show partiality isn’t good,
yet for a piece of bread the valiant will transgress.
22 The miser[h] is in a hurry to get wealthy,
but he isn’t aware that poverty will catch up with him.
23 Whoever rebukes a man will later on find more favor
than someone who flatters with his words.[i]
24 Whoever steals from his father or mother
but claims, “It’s no sin,”
is a companion to someone who demolishes.
25 An arrogant[j] man stirs up dissension,
but anyone who trusts in the Lord prospers.
26 Whoever trusts in himself is foolish,
but whoever lives wisely will be kept safe.
27 Whoever gives to the poor will never lack,
but whoever shuts his eyes to their poverty[k] will be cursed.
28 When the wicked rise to power, people hide themselves,
but when the wicked[l] perish, the righteous increase.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 28:3 Lit. that leaves no
- Proverbs 28:4 Lit. keeps the Law
- Proverbs 28:8 Lit. charging interest upon
- Proverbs 28:9 Lit. turns away from
- Proverbs 28:14 The Heb. lacks the Lord
- Proverbs 28:16 Lit. Nagid; i.e. a senior officer entrusted with dual roles of operational oversight and administrative authority
- Proverbs 28:16 Lit. will lengthen his days
- Proverbs 28:22 Lit. The man with an evil eye
- Proverbs 28:23 Lit. tongue
- Proverbs 28:25 Or greedy
- Proverbs 28:27 The Heb. lacks to their poverty
- Proverbs 28:28 Lit. when they
Proverbs 28
New International Version
Proverbs 28
New International Version
2 When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers,
but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order.
3 A ruler[a] who oppresses the poor
is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.
4 Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked,
but those who heed it resist them.
5 Evildoers do not understand what is right,
but those who seek the Lord understand it fully.
6 Better the poor whose walk is blameless
than the rich whose ways are perverse.(D)
7 A discerning son heeds instruction,
but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.(E)
8 Whoever increases wealth by taking interest(F) or profit from the poor
amasses it for another,(G) who will be kind to the poor.(H)
9 If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction,
even their prayers are detestable.(I)
10 Whoever leads the upright along an evil path
will fall into their own trap,(J)
but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.
11 The rich are wise in their own eyes;
one who is poor and discerning sees how deluded they are.
12 When the righteous triumph, there is great elation;(K)
but when the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding.(L)
13 Whoever conceals their sins(M) does not prosper,
but the one who confesses(N) and renounces them finds mercy.(O)
14 Blessed is the one who always trembles before God,
but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.
15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.
16 A tyrannical ruler practices extortion,
but one who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long reign.
17 Anyone tormented by the guilt of murder
will seek refuge(P) in the grave;
let no one hold them back.
18 The one whose walk is blameless is kept safe,(Q)
but the one whose ways are perverse will fall(R) into the pit.[b]
19 Those who work their land will have abundant food,
but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.(S)
20 A faithful person will be richly blessed,
but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.(T)
22 The stingy are eager to get rich
and are unaware that poverty awaits them.(X)
23 Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor
rather than one who has a flattering tongue.(Y)
24 Whoever robs their father or mother(Z)
and says, “It’s not wrong,”
is partner to one who destroys.(AA)
27 Those who give to the poor will lack nothing,(AF)
but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.(AG)
28 When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding;(AH)
but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 28:3 Or A poor person
- Proverbs 28:18 Syriac (see Septuagint); Hebrew into one
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
International Standard Version (ISV) 
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.