Proverbs 28:1-13

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

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.

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

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

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

10 Whoever leads the upright along an evil path will fall into their own trap, 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; but when the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding.

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

Proverbs 28:1-13 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 15

In this chapter we have a short history of the reign of Abijam, 1Ki 15:1-8 and of Asa, 1Ki 14:9-24, both kings of Judah; and of the reigns of Nadab the son of Jeroboam, and of Baasha, who destroyed his family, both kings of Israel, 1Ki 15:25-34.

Cross References

• 1. S 2 Kings 7:7
• 2. S Leviticus 26:17; Psalms 53:5
• 3. S Psalms 138:3
• 4. Proverbs 19:1
• 5. Proverbs 23:19-21
• 6. S Exodus 18:21; Ezekiel 18:8
• 7. S Job 27:17; Proverbs 13:22
• 8. S Job 3:15; Psalms 112:9; Proverbs 14:31; Luke 14:12-14
• 9. S Psalms 66:18; Psalms 109:7; S Proverbs 15:8; S Isaiah 1:13
• 10. S Psalms 57:6; S Proverbs 26:27
• 11. S 2 Kings 11:20
• 12. ver 28; Job 24:4; Proverbs 11:10; Proverbs 29:2
• 13. S 2 Samuel 12:13; S Job 31:33
• 14. S Leviticus 5:5
• 15. Psalms 32:1-5; Daniel 4:27; 1 John 1:9

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "A poor person"