Proverbs 28
1 Wicked [people] run away [even] when no one is pursuing them, but righteous/good [people are not afraid]; they are as brave as lions.
φεύγει ἀσεβὴς μηδενὸς διώκοντος δίκαιος δὲ ὥσπερ λέων πέποιθεν
2 When [the people of] a nation sin, they will have one ruler after another; but when their leaders are wise and have good sense, their government will last for a long time.
δῑ ἁμαρτίας ἀσεβῶν κρίσεις ἐγείρονται ἀνὴρ δὲ πανοῦργος κατασβέσει αὐτάς
3 A poor person who oppresses [other] poor [people] is [like] [MET] a very heavy/hard rain that [destroys the crops], with the result that there is no food [for people to eat].
ἀνδρεῖος ἐν ἀσεβείαις συκοφαντεῖ πτωχούς ὥσπερ ὑετὸς λάβρος καὶ ἀνωφελής
4 Those who reject/disobey [God’s] laws always speak well of wicked [people]; but those who obey [God’s] laws [always] oppose what wicked people do.
οὕτως οἱ ἐγκαταλείποντες τὸν νόμον ἐγκωμιάζουσιν ἀσέβειαν οἱ δὲ ἀγαπῶντες τὸν νόμον περιβάλλουσιν ἑαυτοῖς τεῖχος
5 Evil people do not understand what it means to act justly, but those who try to obey/worship Yahweh understand that very well.
ἄνδρες κακοὶ οὐ νοήσουσιν κρίμα οἱ δὲ ζητοῦντες τὸν κύριον συνήσουσιν ἐν παντί
6 It is better to be honest [even] though you are poor than to be dishonest [even] though you are rich.
κρείσσων πτωχὸς πορευόμενος ἐν ἀληθείᾳ πλουσίου ψευδοῦς
7 Young people who obey the laws are wise [IDM]; parents whose children associate with those who (carouse/go to wild parties) are humiliated/disgraced because of what their children do.
φυλάσσει νόμον υἱὸς συνετός ὃς δὲ ποιμαίνει ἀσωτίαν ἀτιμάζει πατέρα
8 When people become very rich by charging very high interest [DOU], their money will [eventually] go to someone who does kind things for the poor.
ὁ πληθύνων τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτοῦ μετὰ τόκων καὶ πλεονασμῶν τῷ ἐλεῶντι πτωχοὺς συνάγει αὐτόν
9 If people do not obey [MTY] [God’s] laws, [God] (detests their prayers/considers that their prayers stink).
ὁ ἐκκλίνων τὸ οὖς αὐτοῦ τοῦ μὴ εἰσακοῦσαι νόμου καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν προσευχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐβδέλυκται
10 Those who cause honest/good [people] to do what is evil will fall into their own pits/traps, but good things will happen to those who (are innocent/have not done what is wrong).
ὃς πλανᾷ εὐθεῖς ἐν ὁδῷ κακῇ εἰς διαφθορὰν αὐτὸς ἐμπεσεῖται οἱ δὲ ἄνομοι διελεύσονται ἀγαθὰ καὶ οὐκ εἰσελεύσονται εἰς αὐτά
11 [Many] rich people think that they are wise, but poor people who have good sense will find out whether rich people really are wise or not.
σοφὸς παρ’ ἑαυτῷ ἀνὴρ πλούσιος πένης δὲ νοήμων καταγνώσεται αὐτοῦ
12 When righteous/good [people] (succeed/win [elections]), everyone (celebrates/is happy); but when wicked [people win], everyone hides [because they are afraid of what the wicked people will do].
διὰ βοήθειαν δικαίων πολλὴ γίνεται δόξα ἐν δὲ τόποις ἀσεβῶν ἁλίσκονται ἄνθρωποι
13 Those who refuse to confess/admit their sins will not prosper, but [God] acts mercifully/kindly toward those who confess their sins and turn away from their sinful behavior.
ὁ ἐπικαλύπτων ἀσέβειαν ἑαυτοῦ οὐκ εὐοδωθήσεται ὁ δὲ ἐξηγούμενος ἐλέγχους ἀγαπηθήσεται
14 [God] is pleased with those who always revere him, but those who are stubborn [IDM] will experience disasters.
μακάριος ἀνήρ ὃς καταπτήσσει πάντα δῑ εὐλάβειαν ὁ δὲ σκληρὸς τὴν καρδίαν ἐμπεσεῖται κακοῖς
15 Wicked people who [mistreat] poor people whom they rule are [as dangerous to them as] [SIM] a lion roaring [at them] or a bear springing up [to attack them].
λέων πεινῶν καὶ λύκος διψῶν ὃς τυραννεῖ πτωχὸς ὢν ἔθνους πενιχροῦ
16 Rulers who do not have good sense cruelly oppress [the people they rule], but rulers who do not want to become rich by cheating/deceiving [people] will live (OR, rule) for a long time.
βασιλεὺς ἐνδεὴς προσόδων μέγας συκοφάντης ὁ δὲ μισῶν ἀδικίαν μακρὸν χρόνον ζήσεται
17 Those who are guilty of murdering [MTY] another person will (be fugitives/keep running away) until they die; do not help them to escape.
ἄνδρα τὸν ἐν αἰτίᾳ φόνου ὁ ἐγγυώμενος φυγὰς ἔσται καὶ οὐκ ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ παίδευε υἱόν καὶ ἀγαπήσει σε καὶ δώσει κόσμον τῇ σῇ ψυχῇ οὐ μὴ ὑπακούσῃς ἔθνει παρανόμῳ
18 Those who [continually] do what is right will be safe/protected, but those who are dishonest will [suddenly] be ruined.
ὁ πορευόμενος δικαίως βεβοήθηται ὁ δὲ σκολιαῖς ὁδοῖς πορευόμενος ἐμπλακήσεται
19 Farmers who work [hard] in their fields will [produce good crops and always] have plenty of food [to eat], but those who spend all their time (on useless projects/doing things that do not benefit anyone) will become very poor.
ὁ ἐργαζόμενος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γῆν πλησθήσεται ἄρτων ὁ δὲ διώκων σχολὴν πλησθήσεται πενίας
20 [God] will greatly bless those who (are trustworthy/always do what they say that they will do), but he will certainly punish [LIT] those who try to become rich quickly.
ἀνὴρ ἀξιόπιστος πολλὰ εὐλογηθήσεται ὁ δὲ κακὸς οὐκ ἀτιμώρητος ἔσται
21 It is not good [for judges] to decide matters unfairly/unjustly, but [some] people will do what is wrong [even] if they receive [only] a very small bribe [HYP] [for doing it].
ὃς οὐκ αἰσχύνεται πρόσωπα δικαίων οὐκ ἀγαθός ὁ τοιοῦτος ψωμοῦ ἄρτου ἀποδώσεται ἄνδρα
22 Selfish people [IDM] are very eager to become rich quickly; they do not realize that they will [soon] become poor.
σπεύδει πλουτεῖν ἀνὴρ βάσκανος καὶ οὐκ οἶδεν ὅτι ἐλεήμων κρατήσει αὐτοῦ
23 Those who rebuke someone will be appreciated/thanked more than those who [say nice things to others merely] to (flatter them/cause them to feel good).
ὁ ἐλέγχων ἀνθρώπου ὁδοὺς χάριτας ἕξει μᾶλλον τοῦ γλωσσοχαριτοῦντος
24 Anyone who steals things from his father or his mother and says “That is not sinful” is as bad as a bandit.
ὃς ἀποβάλλεται πατέρα ἢ μητέρα καὶ δοκεῖ μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν οὗτος κοινωνός ἐστιν ἀνδρὸς ἀσεβοῦς
25 Greedy people cause trouble/strife; those who trust in Yahweh will prosper [IDM].
ἄπληστος ἀνὴρ κρίνει εἰκῇ ὃς δὲ πέποιθεν ἐπὶ κύριον ἐν ἐπιμελείᾳ ἔσται
26 Those who believe that what they think [is always right] are foolish; those who act wisely will (escape danger/be safe).
ὃς πέποιθεν θρασείᾳ καρδίᾳ ὁ τοιοῦτος ἄφρων ὃς δὲ πορεύεται σοφίᾳ σωθήσεται
27 Those who give things to poor [people] will not become poor, but many [people] will curse those who refuse to help [IDM] poor people.
ὃς δίδωσιν πτωχοῖς οὐκ ἐνδεηθήσεται ὃς δὲ ἀποστρέφει τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν πολλῇ ἀπορίᾳ ἔσται
28 When wicked [people] become rulers, people hide [because they are afraid of what those wicked people will do]; but when wicked people are no longer rulers, good/righteous [people will] become the rulers.
ἐν τόποις ἀσεβῶν στένουσι δίκαιοι ἐν δὲ τῇ ἐκείνων ἀπωλείᾳ πληθυνθήσονται δίκαιοι
