Proverbs 28:1-14

The wicked are edgy with guilt, ready to run off even when no one’s after them; Honest people are relaxed and confident, bold as lions. When the country is in chaos, everybody has a plan to fix it— But it takes a leader of real understanding to straighten things out. The wicked who oppress the poor are like a hailstorm that beats down the harvest. If you desert God’s law, you’re free to embrace depravity; if you love God’s law, you fight for it tooth and nail. Justice makes no sense to the evilminded; those who seek GOD know it inside and out. It’s better to be poor and direct than rich and crooked. Practice God’s law—get a reputation for wisdom; hang out with a loose crowd—embarrass your family. Get as rich as you want through cheating and extortion, But eventually some friend of the poor is going to give it all back to them. God has no use for the prayers of the people who won’t listen to him. Lead good people down a wrong path and you’ll come to a bad end; do good and you’ll be rewarded for it. The rich think they know it all, but the poor can see right through them. When good people are promoted, everything is great, but when the bad are in charge, watch out! You can’t whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them. A tenderhearted person lives a blessed life; a hardhearted person lives a hard life.