Immerse: Poets Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 257
28:25–29:13
P ro v er b s
Greed causes fighting;
trusting the Lord leads to prosperity.
Those who trust their own insight are foolish,
but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe.
Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing,
but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed.
When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding.
When the wicked meet disaster, the godly flourish.
Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism
will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery.
When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice.
But when the wicked are in power, they groan.
The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,
but if he hangs around with prostitutes, his wealth is wasted.
A just king gives stability to his nation,
but one who demands bribes destroys it.
To flatter friends
is to lay a trap for their feet.
Evil people are trapped by sin,
but the righteous escape, shouting for joy.
The godly care about the rights of the poor;
the wicked don’t care at all.
Mockers can get a whole town agitated,
but the wise will calm anger.
If a wise person takes a fool to court,
there will be ranting and ridicule but no satisfaction.
The bloodthirsty hate blameless people,
but the upright seek to help them.
Fools vent their anger,
but the wise quietly hold it back.
If a ruler pays attention to liars,
all his advisers will be wicked.
The poor and the oppressor have this in common—
the Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.
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