Read the Bible

¹ 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.

²     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.

³ The wicked who oppress the poor
are like a hailstorm that beats down the harvest.

⁴ 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.

⁵ Justice makes no sense to the evilminded;
those who seek God know it inside and out.

⁶ It's better to be poor and direct
    than rich and crooked.

⁷ Practice God's law—get a reputation for wisdom;
    hang out with a loose crowd—embarrass your family.

⁸ 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.

⁹ God has no use for the prayers
    of the people who won't listen to him.

¹⁰ Lead good people down a wrong path
    and you'll come to a bad end;
    do good and you'll be rewarded for it.

¹¹ The rich think they know it all,
    but the poor can see right through them.

¹² When good people are promoted, everything is great,
    but when the bad are in charge, watch out!

¹³ You can't whitewash your sins and get by with it;
    you find mercy by admitting and leaving them.

¹⁴ A tenderhearted person lives a blessed life;
    a hardhearted person lives a hard life.

¹⁵ Lions roar and bears charge—
    and the wicked lord it over the poor.

¹⁶ Among leaders who lack insight, abuse abounds,
    but for one who hates corruption, the future is bright.

¹⁷ A murderer haunted by guilt
    is doomed—there's no helping him.

¹⁸ Walk straight—live well and be saved;
    a devious life is a doomed life.

¹⁹ Work your garden—you'll end up with plenty of food;
    play and party—you'll end up with an empty plate.

²⁰ Committed and persistent work pays off;
    get-rich-quick schemes are ripoffs.

²¹ Playing favorites is always a bad thing;
    you can do great harm in seemingly harmless ways.

²² A miser in a hurry to get rich
    doesn't know that he'll end up broke.

²³ In the end, serious reprimand is appreciated
    far more than bootlicking flattery.

²⁴ Anyone who robs father and mother
    and says, "So, what's wrong with that?"
    is worse than a pirate.

²⁵ A grasping person stirs up trouble,
    but trust in God brings a sense of well-being.

²⁶ If you think you know it all, you're a fool for sure;
    real survivors learn wisdom from others.

²⁷ Be generous to the poor—you'll never go hungry;
    shut your eyes to their needs, and run a gauntlet of curses.

²⁸ When corruption takes over, good people go underground,
    but when the crooks are thrown out, it's safe to come out.