The wicked flee when no man pursueth;
But the righteous are bold as a lion.
For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof;
But by {Or, a man}men of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.
A needy man that oppresseth the poor
Is like a sweeping rain {Hebrew: without food.}which leaveth no food.
They that forsake the law praise the wicked;
But such as keep the law contend with them.
Evil men understand not justice;
But they that seek Jehovah understand all things.
Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity,
Than he that is {Hebrew: perverse of two ways.}perverse in his ways, though he be rich.
Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son;
But he that is a companion of gluttons shameth his father.
He that augmenteth his substance by interest and increase,
Gathereth it for him that hath pity on the poor.
He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law,
Even his prayer is an abomination.
Whoso causeth the upright to go astray in an evil way,
He shall fall himself into his own pit;
But the perfect shall inherit good.
The rich man is wise in {Hebrew: his own eyes.}his own conceit;
But the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out.
When the righteous triumph, there is great glory;
But when the wicked rise, men {Hebrew: must be searched for.}hide themselves.
He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper:
But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy.
Happy is the man that feareth alway;
But he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into {Or, calamity}mischief.
As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear,
So is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
{Or, O prince that lackest understanding and art a great oppressor, He &c.}The prince that lacketh understanding is also a great oppressor;
But he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days.
A man that is laden with the blood of any person
Shall flee unto the pit; let no man stay him.
Whoso walketh uprightly shall be delivered;
But {Or, he that walketh perversely in two ways}he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once.
He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread;
But he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.
A faithful man shall abound with blessings;
But he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be unpunished.
To have respect of persons is not good;
{Or, For for a piece of bread a man will transgress}Neither that a man should transgress for a piece of bread.
He that hath an evil eye hasteth after riches,
And knoweth not that want shall come upon him.
He that rebuketh a man shall afterward find more favor
Than he that flattereth with the tongue.
Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression,
The same is the companion of a destroyer.
He that is of a greedy spirit stirreth up strife;
But he that putteth his trust in Jehovah shall be made fat.
He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool;
But whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack;
But he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.
When the wicked rise, men hide themselves;
But when they perish, the righteous increase.
Querverweise zu Sprüche 28,10 Spr 28,10
And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?
Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein;And he that rolleth a stone, it shall return upon him.
Jehovah will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish;But he thrusteth away the desire of the wicked.
Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against Jehovah in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Jehovah.
He hath made a pit, and digged it,And is fallen into the ditch which he made.
In the house of the righteous is much treasure;But in the revenues of the wicked is trouble.
Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it be Jehovah that hath stirred thee up against me, let him {Hebrew: smell.}accept an offering: but if it be the children of men, cursed be they before Jehovah: for they have driven me out this day that I should {Or, have no share in}not cleave unto the inheritance of Jehovah, saying, Go, serve other gods.
His mischief shall return upon his own head,And his violence shall come down upon his own pate.
There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise;But a foolish man swalloweth it up.
But Elymas the {Greek: Magus: as in Matthew 2:1, 7, 16.}sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn aside the proconsul from the faith.
But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes on him,
and said, O full of all guile and all villany, thou son of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
The nations are sunk down in the pit that they made:In the net which they hid is their own foot taken.
And it shall come to pass, because ye hearken to these ordinances, and keep and do them, that Jehovah thy God will keep with thee the covenant and the lovingkindness which he sware unto thy fathers:
and he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee; he will also bless the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy ground, thy grain and thy new wine and thine oil, the increase of thy cattle and the young of thy flock, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
Thou shalt be blessed above all peoples: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them that are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the {Or, teaching}doctrine which ye learned: and turn away from them.
He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh through a wall, a serpent shall bite him.
But the meek shall inherit the land,And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
For they that are such serve not our Lord Christ, but their own belly; and by their smooth and fair speech they beguile the hearts of the innocent.
I have been young, and now am old;Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,Nor his seed begging bread.
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your {Greek: thoughts. See chapter 3:14.}minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ.
All the day long he dealeth graciously, and lendeth;And his seed is blessed.
For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different {Greek: good tidings. See marginal note on chapter 2:12.}gospel, which ye did not accept, ye do well to bear with him.
But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, fashioning themselves into apostles of Christ.
And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light.
It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.
But though we, or an angel from heaven, should {See marginal note on Matthew 11:5.}preach {Some ancient authorities omit unto you.}unto you any gospel {Or, contrary to that}other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema.
As we have said before, so say I now again, If any man {See marginal note on Matthew 11:5.}preacheth unto you any gospel {Or, contrary to that}other than that which ye received, let him be anathema.
{Or, but it was because of}and that because of the false brethren privily brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
O foolish Galatians, who did bewitch you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly set forth crucified?
This only would I learn from you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the {Or, message}hearing of faith?
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, {or, do ye now make an end in the flesh?}are ye now perfected in the flesh?
Did ye suffer so many things in vain? if it be indeed in vain.
For, uttering great swelling words of vanity, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error;
promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for of {Or, what}whom a man is overcome, of the same is he also brought into bondage.
For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of {Many ancient authorities read our.}the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with them than the first.
But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there some that hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication.