Proverbs 28 :: New International Version (NIV)

Pro 28:1

Pro 28:1The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Pro 28:2

Pro 28:2When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order.

Pro 28:3

Pro 28:3A ruler[fn] who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.

Pro 28:4

Pro 28:4Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked, but those who heed it resist them.

Pro 28:5

Pro 28:5Evildoers do not understand what is right, but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.

Pro 28:6

Pro 28:6Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse.

Pro 28:7

Pro 28:7A discerning son heeds instruction, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.

Pro 28:8

Pro 28:8Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.

Pro 28:9

Pro 28:9If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.

Pro 28:10

Pro 28:10Whoever leads the upright along an evil path will fall into their own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.

Pro 28:11

Pro 28:11The rich are wise in their own eyes; one who is poor and discerning sees how deluded they are.

Pro 28:12

Pro 28:12When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding.

Pro 28:13

Pro 28:13Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

Pro 28:14

Pro 28:14Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.

Pro 28:15

Pro 28:15Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.

Pro 28:16

Pro 28:16A tyrannical ruler practices extortion, but one who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long reign.

Pro 28:17

Pro 28:17Anyone tormented by the guilt of murder will seek refuge in the grave; let no one hold them back.

Pro 28:18

Pro 28:18The one whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but the one whose ways are perverse will fall into the pit.[fn]

Pro 28:19

Pro 28:19Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.

Pro 28:20

Pro 28:20A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.

Pro 28:21

Pro 28:21To show partiality is not good— yet a person will do wrong for a piece of bread.

Pro 28:22

Pro 28:22The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them.

Pro 28:23

Pro 28:23Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue.

Pro 28:24

Pro 28:24Whoever robs their father or mother and says, “It’s not wrong,” is partner to one who destroys.

Pro 28:25

Pro 28:25The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the LORD will prosper.

Pro 28:26

Pro 28:26Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.

Pro 28:27

Pro 28:27Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.

Pro 28:28

Pro 28:28When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding; but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive.

See the NIV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NIV Footnotes

(28:3)

Or A poor person

(28:18)

Syriac (see Septuagint); Hebrew into one

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