Proverbs 28

1 A wicked person runs away

even when nobody is chasing him.

But a righteous person is as brave as a lion.

2 When the people in a country refuse to obey the law,

they will have many rulers.

But if a country has a wise ruler who understands what is right,

it will continue to be strong.

3 A poor person who is cruel to helpless people

is like a storm that destroys crops.

4 People who do not obey the law praise wicked people.

But people who obey the law speak against wicked people.

5  Evil people do not understand justice.

But people who serve the Lord understand all about it.

6 It is better to be poor and live in an honest way

than to be a rich hypocrite.

7 If you obey the law, you are a wise child.

But if you make friends with greedy people,

you will make your parents ashamed.

8 If you make people pay more when you lend money to them,

you may become rich.

But someone else will enjoy your riches.

They will go to someone who is kind to poor people.

9 If you refuse to listen to God's Law,

God will refuse to listen to your prayers.

10 If you cause a good person to do evil things,

your own evil trap will catch you.

But people who do nothing wrong will receive good things.

11 A rich person thinks that he knows everything.

But a poor person who understands people knows what he is really like.

12 When righteous people have power,

everybody is happy.

But when wicked people have power,

good people run away to hide.

13 Anyone who hides his sins will never do well.

But God will forgive somebody,

if he agrees that he has done wrong things,

and if he turns away from his sins.

14 If you are afraid to do wrong things,

God will bless you.

But trouble will happen to anyone who refuses to obey.

15 A wicked ruler brings danger to poor people.

He is as dangerous as an angry lion or a hungry bear.

16 If a ruler is cruel,

it shows that he is not wise.

But a ruler who refuses bribes will rule for a long time.

17 Someone who is guilty of murder will be running until he dies.

Nobody should help him to escape.

18 If you live in an honest way, you will be safe.

But hypocrites will suddenly fall into trouble.

19 A farmer who works hard will have plenty of food to eat.

But anyone who works only on useless things will always be poor.

20 A faithful person will receive many blessings.

But anyone who hurries to become rich will only receive punishment.

21 When you judge people, you must always be fair.

That is the right thing to do.

But even a small bribe can make some people do the wrong thing.

22  Greedy people hurry to become rich.

They do not know that they will soon be poor.

23 If you warn someone that he has done a wrong thing,

he will thank you in the end.

He will like you more than if you only say sweet words to him.

24 If anyone cheats his parents,

he may say that he has done nothing wrong.

But a person like that is as bad as a robber.

25 Greedy people cause a lot of trouble.

But someone who trusts the Lord will enjoy many good things.

26 If you trust your own thoughts,

you are a fool.

But if you live in a wise way,

you will be safe from danger.

27 If you give things to poor people,

you will still have enough for yourself.

But everyone will curse you

if you refuse to help poor people.

28 When wicked people become powerful,

everyone runs away to hide.

But when wicked people lose their power,

righteous people do well again.