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Proverbs 28 - The Message bible

Proverbs 28

¹The wicked are edgy with guilt, ready to run off even when no one’s after them; Honest people are relaxed and confident, bold as lions.

²When the country is in chaos, everybody has a plan to fix it— But it takes a leader of real understanding to straighten things out.

³The wicked who oppress the poor are like a hailstorm that beats down the harvest.

⁴If you desert God’s law, you’re free to embrace depravity; if you love God’s law, you fight for it tooth and nail.

⁵Justice makes no sense to the evilminded; those who seek GOD know it inside and out.

⁶It’s better to be poor and direct than rich and crooked.

⁷Practice God’s law—get a reputation for wisdom; hang out with a loose crowd—embarrass your family.

⁸Get as rich as you want through cheating and extortion, But eventually some friend of the poor is going to give it all back to them.

⁹God has no use for the prayers of the people who won’t listen to him.

¹⁰Lead good people down a wrong path and you’ll come to a bad end; do good and you’ll be rewarded for it.

¹¹The rich think they know it all, but the poor can see right through them.

¹²When good people are promoted, everything is great, but when the bad are in charge, watch out!

¹³You can’t whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them.

¹⁴A tenderhearted person lives a blessed life; a hardhearted person lives a hard life.

¹⁵Lions roar and bears charge— and the wicked lord it over the poor.

¹⁶Among leaders who lack insight, abuse abounds, but for one who hates corruption, the future is bright.

¹⁷A murderer haunted by guilt is doomed—there’s no helping him.

¹⁸Walk straight—live well and be saved; a devious life is a doomed life.

¹⁹Work your garden—you’ll end up with plenty of food; play and party—you’ll end up with an empty plate.

²⁰Committed and persistent work pays off; get-rich-quick schemes are ripoffs.

²¹Playing favorites is always a bad thing; you can do great harm in seemingly harmless ways.

²²A miser in a hurry to get rich doesn’t know that he’ll end up broke.

²³In the end, serious reprimand is appreciated far more than bootlicking flattery.

²⁴Anyone who robs father and mother and says, “So, what’s wrong with that?” is worse than a pirate.

²⁵A grasping person stirs up trouble, but trust in GOD brings a sense of well-being.

²⁶If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.

²⁷Be generous to the poor—you’ll never go hungry; shut your eyes to their needs, and run a gauntlet of curses.

²⁸When corruption takes over, good people go underground, but when the crooks are thrown out, it’s safe to come out.