Proverbs · 28 verses
Proverbs 28
Every verse links to the people and places named in it, and to the passages readers connect it with.
The chapter
What happens here
Atlas's own reading, written from this chapter and nothing else, and published only once a person has approved it. Each scene names the verses it covers; the names inside it link to the people and places they name.
Prayer becomes detestable here—not because it is too bold, but because the person praying has turned away from hearing the law. It is a wonderfully severe reversal: the mouth is raised heavenward while the ear remains firmly shut.
A law-abiding world, or something like itvv. 1–9
The wicked flee from an invisible pursuer, while the righteous stand about with the composure of lions. Rebellion multiplies rulers, oppression falls like rain that leaves no food, and those who abandon the law are found praising the wicked. The chapter prefers a poor man of integrity to a rich man with crooked ways, and a discerning son to a companion of gluttons. Even wealth gathered by interest and usury is liable to be transferred into kinder hands. Then comes the sharpest turn: a prayer from someone who will not listen is called detestable.
Pits, lions, and the sudden fallvv. 10–18
The person who leads the upright towards evil is digging a pit with admirable efficiency, though it is his own. The rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but the discerning poor man sees through him; when the righteous triumph, there is glory, and when the wicked rise, people disappear into hiding. Concealed sin does not prosper, while confession and renunciation find mercy. A wicked ruler is compared not merely to a lion but also to a charging bear, which is rather a crowded afternoon for the helpless. The leader without judgment becomes an oppressor, dishonest profit shortens the horizon, and the bloodguilty man flees towards the Pit with no one advised to support him.
Bread, wealth, and the eyes that will not seevv. 19–28
The chapter settles among fields, fortunes, appetites, and temptations. Work brings food; fantasies bring poverty. The faithful man abounds with blessings, while the eager rich man will not escape punishment, and the stingy man hurries after wealth without noticing poverty waiting just ahead. Partiality is condemned, though a man may still be tempted to do wrong for the price of a single piece of bread—a remarkably small coin for so large a disgrace. Rebuke proves more lasting than flattery, and the child who robs father or mother has chosen the company of the destroyer. Greed stirs up strife; trust in the LORD prospers; trust in oneself is called foolish. At the end, the wicked rise and people hide, the wicked perish, and the righteous flourish.
The text
Read it
Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Names the Hebrew and Greek put in the verse link to the person, place or people they name; the address beside each verse is a link to that verse, which is what a reader copies and shares.
Prov 28:1The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
Prov 28:2A land in rebellion has many rulers, but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.
Prov 28:3A destitute leader who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no food.
Prov 28:4Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them.
Prov 28:5Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD comprehend fully.
Prov 28:6Better a poor man who walks with integrity than a rich man whose ways are perverse.
Prov 28:7A discerning son keeps the law, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.
Prov 28:8He who increases his wealth by interest and usury lays it up for one who is kind to the poor.
Prov 28:9Whoever turns his ear away from hearing the law, even his prayer is detestable.
Prov 28:10He who leads the upright along the path of evil will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will inherit what is good.
Prov 28:11A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man with discernment sees through him.
Prov 28:12When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.
Prov 28:13He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.
Prov 28:14Blessed is the man who is always reverent, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.
Prov 28:15Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.
Prov 28:16A leader who lacks judgment is also a great oppressor, but he who hates dishonest profit will prolong his days.
Prov 28:17A man burdened by bloodguilt will flee into the Pit; let no one support him.
Prov 28:18He who walks with integrity will be kept safe, but whoever is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall.
Prov 28:19The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.
Prov 28:20A faithful man will abound with blessings, but one eager to be rich will not go unpunished.
Prov 28:21To show partiality is not good, yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.
Prov 28:22A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty awaits him.
Prov 28:23He who rebukes a man will later find more favor than one who flatters with his tongue.
Prov 28:24He who robs his father or mother, saying, “It is not wrong,” is a companion to the man who destroys.
Prov 28:25A greedy man stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.
Prov 28:26He who trusts in himself is a fool, but one who walks in wisdom will be safe.
Prov 28:27Whoever gives to the poor will not be in need, but he who hides his eyes will receive many curses.
Prov 28:28When the wicked come to power, people hide themselves; but when they perish, the righteous flourish.
02 — Read alongside
Where this is echoed
Readers' own connections, from OpenBible's crowd-voted cross-references — agreement about relevance, and not scholarly confidence. 356 passages were voted onto 28 verses of this chapter; the 16 shown lead on votes, and each is listed at the verse it was voted onto most strongly.
- 1Deuteronomy 28:7The LORD will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you. They will march out against you in one direction but flee from you in seven.
- 1Psalms 53:5There they are, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to fear. For God has scattered the bones of those who besieged you. You put them to shame, for God has despised them.
- 1Isaiah 26:3–4You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You.
- 1Psalms 27:1–2Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?
- 1Psalms 112:7He does not fear bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
- 131 John 1:8–10If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
- 13Psalms 32:3–5When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long.
- 11 Thessalonians 2:2As you are aware, we had already endured suffering and shameful treatment in Philippi. But in the face of strong opposition, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God.
- 1Acts 4:13When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.
- 1Daniel 6:10–11Now when Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house, where the windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
- 1Acts 14:3So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who affirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.
- 26Proverbs 3:5Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
- 1Jeremiah 20:4For this is what the LORD says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They will fall by the sword of their enemies before your very eyes. And I will hand Judah over to the king of Babylon, and he will carry them away to Babylon and put them to the sword.
- 13Job 31:33if I have covered my transgressions like Adam by hiding my guilt in my heart,
- 1Leviticus 26:36As for those of you who survive, I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies, so that even the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. And they will flee as one flees the sword, and fall when no one pursues them.
- 9Psalms 66:18If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
Onward