Παροιμίαι 28
1 φεύγει ἀσεβὴς μηδενὸς διώκοντος δίκαιος δὲ ὥσπερ λέων πέποιθεν
Wicked [people] run away [even] when no one is pursuing them, but righteous/good [people are not afraid]; they are as brave as lions.
2 δῑ ἁμαρτίας ἀσεβῶν κρίσεις ἐγείρονται ἀνὴρ δὲ πανοῦργος κατασβέσει αὐτάς
When [the people of] a nation sin, they will have one ruler after another; but when their leaders are wise and have good sense, their government will last for a long time.
3 ἀνδρεῖος ἐν ἀσεβείαις συκοφαντεῖ πτωχούς ὥσπερ ὑετὸς λάβρος καὶ ἀνωφελής
A poor person who oppresses [other] poor [people] is [like] [MET] a very heavy/hard rain that [destroys the crops], with the result that there is no food [for people to eat].
4 οὕτως οἱ ἐγκαταλείποντες τὸν νόμον ἐγκωμιάζουσιν ἀσέβειαν οἱ δὲ ἀγαπῶντες τὸν νόμον περιβάλλουσιν ἑαυτοῖς τεῖχος
Those who reject/disobey [God’s] laws always speak well of wicked [people]; but those who obey [God’s] laws [always] oppose what wicked people do.
5 ἄνδρες κακοὶ οὐ νοήσουσιν κρίμα οἱ δὲ ζητοῦντες τὸν κύριον συνήσουσιν ἐν παντί
Evil people do not understand what it means to act justly, but those who try to obey/worship Yahweh understand that very well.
6 κρείσσων πτωχὸς πορευόμενος ἐν ἀληθείᾳ πλουσίου ψευδοῦς
It is better to be honest [even] though you are poor than to be dishonest [even] though you are rich.
7 φυλάσσει νόμον υἱὸς συνετός ὃς δὲ ποιμαίνει ἀσωτίαν ἀτιμάζει πατέρα
Young people who obey the laws are wise [IDM]; parents whose children associate with those who (carouse/go to wild parties) are humiliated/disgraced because of what their children do.
8 ὁ πληθύνων τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτοῦ μετὰ τόκων καὶ πλεονασμῶν τῷ ἐλεῶντι πτωχοὺς συνάγει αὐτόν
When people become very rich by charging very high interest [DOU], their money will [eventually] go to someone who does kind things for the poor.
9 ὁ ἐκκλίνων τὸ οὖς αὐτοῦ τοῦ μὴ εἰσακοῦσαι νόμου καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν προσευχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐβδέλυκται
If people do not obey [MTY] [God’s] laws, [God] (detests their prayers/considers that their prayers stink).
10 ὃς πλανᾷ εὐθεῖς ἐν ὁδῷ κακῇ εἰς διαφθορὰν αὐτὸς ἐμπεσεῖται οἱ δὲ ἄνομοι διελεύσονται ἀγαθὰ καὶ οὐκ εἰσελεύσονται εἰς αὐτά
Those who cause honest/good [people] to do what is evil will fall into their own pits/traps, but good things will happen to those who (are innocent/have not done what is wrong).
11 σοφὸς παρ’ ἑαυτῷ ἀνὴρ πλούσιος πένης δὲ νοήμων καταγνώσεται αὐτοῦ
[Many] rich people think that they are wise, but poor people who have good sense will find out whether rich people really are wise or not.
12 διὰ βοήθειαν δικαίων πολλὴ γίνεται δόξα ἐν δὲ τόποις ἀσεβῶν ἁλίσκονται ἄνθρωποι
When righteous/good [people] (succeed/win [elections]), everyone (celebrates/is happy); but when wicked [people win], everyone hides [because they are afraid of what the wicked people will do].
13 ὁ ἐπικαλύπτων ἀσέβειαν ἑαυτοῦ οὐκ εὐοδωθήσεται ὁ δὲ ἐξηγούμενος ἐλέγχους ἀγαπηθήσεται
Those who refuse to confess/admit their sins will not prosper, but [God] acts mercifully/kindly toward those who confess their sins and turn away from their sinful behavior.
14 μακάριος ἀνήρ ὃς καταπτήσσει πάντα δῑ εὐλάβειαν ὁ δὲ σκληρὸς τὴν καρδίαν ἐμπεσεῖται κακοῖς
[God] is pleased with those who always revere him, but those who are stubborn [IDM] will experience disasters.
15 λέων πεινῶν καὶ λύκος διψῶν ὃς τυραννεῖ πτωχὸς ὢν ἔθνους πενιχροῦ
Wicked people who [mistreat] poor people whom they rule are [as dangerous to them as] [SIM] a lion roaring [at them] or a bear springing up [to attack them].
16 βασιλεὺς ἐνδεὴς προσόδων μέγας συκοφάντης ὁ δὲ μισῶν ἀδικίαν μακρὸν χρόνον ζήσεται
Rulers who do not have good sense cruelly oppress [the people they rule], but rulers who do not want to become rich by cheating/deceiving [people] will live (OR, rule) for a long time.
17 ἄνδρα τὸν ἐν αἰτίᾳ φόνου ὁ ἐγγυώμενος φυγὰς ἔσται καὶ οὐκ ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ παίδευε υἱόν καὶ ἀγαπήσει σε καὶ δώσει κόσμον τῇ σῇ ψυχῇ οὐ μὴ ὑπακούσῃς ἔθνει παρανόμῳ
Those who are guilty of murdering [MTY] another person will (be fugitives/keep running away) until they die; do not help them to escape.
18 ὁ πορευόμενος δικαίως βεβοήθηται ὁ δὲ σκολιαῖς ὁδοῖς πορευόμενος ἐμπλακήσεται
Those who [continually] do what is right will be safe/protected, but those who are dishonest will [suddenly] be ruined.
19 ὁ ἐργαζόμενος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γῆν πλησθήσεται ἄρτων ὁ δὲ διώκων σχολὴν πλησθήσεται πενίας
Farmers who work [hard] in their fields will [produce good crops and always] have plenty of food [to eat], but those who spend all their time (on useless projects/doing things that do not benefit anyone) will become very poor.
20 ἀνὴρ ἀξιόπιστος πολλὰ εὐλογηθήσεται ὁ δὲ κακὸς οὐκ ἀτιμώρητος ἔσται
[God] will greatly bless those who (are trustworthy/always do what they say that they will do), but he will certainly punish [LIT] those who try to become rich quickly.
21 ὃς οὐκ αἰσχύνεται πρόσωπα δικαίων οὐκ ἀγαθός ὁ τοιοῦτος ψωμοῦ ἄρτου ἀποδώσεται ἄνδρα
It is not good [for judges] to decide matters unfairly/unjustly, but [some] people will do what is wrong [even] if they receive [only] a very small bribe [HYP] [for doing it].
22 σπεύδει πλουτεῖν ἀνὴρ βάσκανος καὶ οὐκ οἶδεν ὅτι ἐλεήμων κρατήσει αὐτοῦ
Selfish people [IDM] are very eager to become rich quickly; they do not realize that they will [soon] become poor.
23 ὁ ἐλέγχων ἀνθρώπου ὁδοὺς χάριτας ἕξει μᾶλλον τοῦ γλωσσοχαριτοῦντος
Those who rebuke someone will be appreciated/thanked more than those who [say nice things to others merely] to (flatter them/cause them to feel good).
24 ὃς ἀποβάλλεται πατέρα ἢ μητέρα καὶ δοκεῖ μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν οὗτος κοινωνός ἐστιν ἀνδρὸς ἀσεβοῦς
Anyone who steals things from his father or his mother and says “That is not sinful” is as bad as a bandit.
25 ἄπληστος ἀνὴρ κρίνει εἰκῇ ὃς δὲ πέποιθεν ἐπὶ κύριον ἐν ἐπιμελείᾳ ἔσται
Greedy people cause trouble/strife; those who trust in Yahweh will prosper [IDM].
26 ὃς πέποιθεν θρασείᾳ καρδίᾳ ὁ τοιοῦτος ἄφρων ὃς δὲ πορεύεται σοφίᾳ σωθήσεται
Those who believe that what they think [is always right] are foolish; those who act wisely will (escape danger/be safe).
27 ὃς δίδωσιν πτωχοῖς οὐκ ἐνδεηθήσεται ὃς δὲ ἀποστρέφει τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν πολλῇ ἀπορίᾳ ἔσται
Those who give things to poor [people] will not become poor, but many [people] will curse those who refuse to help [IDM] poor people.
28 ἐν τόποις ἀσεβῶν στένουσι δίκαιοι ἐν δὲ τῇ ἐκείνων ἀπωλείᾳ πληθυνθήσονται δίκαιοι
When wicked [people] become rulers, people hide [because they are afraid of what those wicked people will do]; but when wicked people are no longer rulers, good/righteous [people will] become the rulers.
