Proverbs — Chapter 28

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1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
2 For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.
3 A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.
4 They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.
5 Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.
6 Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.
7 Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father.
8 He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.
9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.
10 Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good things in possession.
11 The rich man is wise in his own conceit; but the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out.
12 When righteous men do rejoice, there is great glory: but when the wicked rise, a man is hidden.
13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
14 Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.
15 As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.
16 The prince that wanteth understanding is also a great oppressor: but he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days.
17 A man that doeth violence to the blood of any person shall flee to the pit; let no man stay him.
18 Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once.
19 He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.
20 A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.
21 To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress.
22 He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.
23 He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.
24 Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression; the same is the companion of a destroyer.
25 He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.
26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
27 He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.
28 When the wicked rise, men hide themselves: but when they perish, the righteous increase.
Abrahamic Catechism
Bible Study
Proverbs — Chapter 28
✦ Talmud

• Berakhot 4a teaches that one who is haughty will eventually stumble and fall — Proverbs 28:1 "the wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion" is the Talmudic psycho-spiritual surveillance doctrine: the Sitra Achra installs a permanent internal pursuer in the wicked through guilt and unresolved trespass, while the tzaddik's freedom from this phantom pursuit is itself a diagnostic of cleared spiritual accounts.

• Sanhedrin 8a teaches that a judge must judge only by what his eyes see — Proverbs 28:21 "to show partiality is not good, yet for a piece of bread a man will do wrong" is the judicial corruption minimum-viable-bribe doctrine: the Sitra Achra does not need to purchase judicial loyalty with great wealth — the smallest material inducement, mere bread, is sufficient once the partial-vision mechanism is activated.

• Avot 2:4 parallels Proverbs 28:14 "blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity" — the Talmudic teaching that trust in oneself (rather than sustained reverence) is the precursor to catastrophic fall maps the same hardening arc: the Sitra Achra's multi-stage heart-hardening campaign begins with the first successful elimination of God-consciousness and concludes with the fully sealed heart.

• Shabbat 55b teaches that the seal of the Holy One is truth, and those who die for truth (emet) have the divine seal — Proverbs 28:6 "better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways" encodes the Talmudic value-inversion that the Sitra Achra's entire economic-power framework cannot accommodate: integrity is denominated in a currency outside the Sitra Achra's financial system entirely.

• Bava Batra 10b records Tur Malka's teaching that charity saves from death — Proverbs 28:27 "whoever gives to the poor will not want, but one who hides his eyes will get many a curse" is the anti-hoarding operational order: the Sitra Achra's economic weapon is the closed fist, and the open hand is the spiritual counter-offensive that simultaneously depletes Sitra Achra resource-control and replenishes divine supply lines.