Every Man's Bible - Proverbs - Flipbook - Page 39
page 865 | Proverbs 28
When disaster strikes, you won’t have
to ask your brother for assistance.
It’s better to go to a neighbor than to
a brother who lives far away.
11
Be wise, my child,* and make my heart
glad.
Then I will be able to answer my critics.
12
A prudent person foresees danger and
takes precautions.
The simpleton goes blindly on and
suffers the consequences.
13
Get security from someone who
guarantees a stranger’s debt.
Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.*
14
15
16
A loud and cheerful greeting early in the
morning
will be taken as a curse!
A quarrelsome wife is as annoying
as constant dripping on a rainy day.
Stopping her complaints is like trying
to stop the wind
or trying to hold something with
greased hands.
17
As iron sharpens iron,
so a friend sharpens a friend.
18
As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed
to eat the fruit,
so workers who protect their employer’s
interests will be rewarded.
19
As a face is reflected in water,
so the heart reflects the real person.
20
Just as Death and Destruction* are never
satisfied,
so human desire is never satisfied.
21
Fire tests the purity of silver and gold,
but a person is tested by being praised.*
22
You cannot separate fools from their
foolishness,
even though you grind them like grain
with mortar and pestle.
23
Know the state of your flocks,
and put your heart into caring for your
herds,
for riches don’t last forever,
and the crown might not be passed
to the next generation.
25 After the hay is harvested and the new
crop appears
and the mountain grasses are gathered in,
26 your sheep will provide wool for clothing,
and your goats will provide the price
of a field.
27 And you will have enough goats’ milk
for yourself,
your family, and your servant girls.
24
28
1
The wicked run away when no
one is chasing them,
but the godly are as bold as
lions.
2
When there is moral rot within a nation,
its government topples easily.
But wise and knowledgeable leaders
bring stability.
3
A poor person who oppresses the poor
is like a pounding rain that destroys
the crops.
4
To reject the law is to praise the wicked;
to obey the law is to fight them.
5
Evil people don’t understand justice,
but those who follow the LORD
understand completely.
6
Better to be poor and honest
than to be dishonest and rich.
7
Young people who obey the law are wise;
those with wild friends bring shame to
their parents.*
8
Income from charging high interest rates
will end up in the pocket of someone
who is kind to the poor.
9
God detests the prayers
of a person who ignores the law.
10
Those who lead good people along an
evil path
will fall into their own trap,
but the honest will inherit good things.
27:11 Hebrew my son. 27:13 As in Greek and Latin versions (see also 20:16); Hebrew reads for a promiscuous woman.
27:20 Hebrew Sheol and Abaddon. 27:21 Or by flattery. 28:7 Hebrew their father.
27:10 Friends are an important resource for our spiritual growth. We need people to whom we can be
accountable and to whom we can turn in times of need. We need them to be honest with us and have our
best interests at heart. And just as we want our friends to stick by us in times of crisis, we should also
support our friends when they need our help.
27:20 The ambition referred to here is that of lust or greed. This includes things like sexual gratification,
materialism, and greed for power or prestige. Although gratifying these desires can be pleasurable, it is not
fulfilling in the long run. The more we seek God to fulfill our real needs, the more we will be truly satisfied.