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 28,17 Spr 28,17
Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
And if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbor, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.
Ye shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan; they shall be cities of refuge.
For the children of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, shall these six cities be for refuge; that every one that killeth any person {Or, through error}unwittingly may flee thither.
But if he smote him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
And if he smote him with a stone in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
Or if he smote him with a weapon of wood in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death: when he meeteth him, he shall put him to death.
And if he thrust him of hatred, or hurled at him, lying in wait, so that he died,
or in enmity smote him with his hand, so that he died; he that smote him shall surely be put to death; he is a murderer: the avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death, when he meeteth him.
But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled upon him anything without lying in wait,
or with any stone, whereby a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm;
then the congregation shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances;
and the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.
But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, whither he fleeth,
and the avenger of blood find him without the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood slay the manslayer; {Or, there shall be no blood-guiltiness for him}he shall not be guilty of blood,
because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the manslayer shall return into the land of his possession.
And these things shall be for a {Hebrew: statute of judgement.}statute and ordinance unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be slain at the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person that he die.
Moreover ye shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer, that is guilty of death; but he shall surely be put to death.
And ye shall take no ransom for him that is fled to his city of refuge, that he may come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.
So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood, it polluteth the land; and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.
And thou shalt not defile the land which ye inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell: for I, Jehovah, dwell in the midst of the children of Israel.
And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, Hast thou killed and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.
And of Jezebel also spake Jehovah, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel.
Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith Jehovah; and I will requite thee in this {Or, portion}plat, saith Jehovah. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of Jehovah.
And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of Jehovah.
Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, Jehovah look upon it, and require it.
And it came to pass at the {Hebrew: revolution.}end of the year, that the army of the Syrians came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus.
For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; and Jehovah delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken Jehovah, the God of their fathers. So they executed {Hebrew: judgements.}judgment upon Joash.
And when they were departed for him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the {The Vulgate and some editions of Septuagint read, son.}sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died; and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings.
saying, I have sinned in that I {See marginal note on chapter 10:4.}betrayed {Many ancient authorities read righteous.}innocent blood. But they said, What is that to us? see thou to it.
And he cast down the pieces of silver into the sanctuary, and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.
And when the barbarians saw the venomous creature hanging from his hand, they said one to another, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped from the sea, yet Justice hath not suffered to live.