in Proverbs 29 we read:
7 The good-hearted understand what it’s like to be poor;
the hardhearted haven’t the faintest idea.
> Good-hearted people have empathy for others.
8 A gang of cynics can upset a whole city;
a group of sages can calm everyone down.
> Cynics don't have faith and hope.
9 A sage trying to work things out with a fool
gets only scorn and sarcasm for his trouble.
> It is great problem to work with a fool: instead of helping, he destroys a good job.
11 A fool lets it all hang out;
a sage quietly mulls it over.
> We are prone to let it all happens, to let it go, but a sage medidates on what is happening and takes the proper action.
12 When a leader listens to malicious gossip,
all the workers get infected with evil.
16 When degenerates take charge, crime runs wild,
but the righteous will eventually observe their collapse.
> A leader has great influence on the company, church, country, etc. Does he pay too much attention to the "market"? If so, he is not a good leader. Does the leader have energy to do what is right? If not, his company will collapse.
13 The poor and their abusers have at least something in common:
they can both see—their sight, God’s gift!
14 Leadership gains authority and respect
when the voiceless poor are treated fairly.
> Proverbs says that a lazy guy will end up poor and at the same time, Proverbs encourages us to help them - because we are all God's creatures.
15 Wise discipline imparts wisdom;
spoiled adolescents embarrass their parents.
17 Discipline your children; you’ll be glad you did—
they’ll turn out delightful to live with.
18 If people can’t see what God is doing,
they stumble all over themselves;
But when they attend to what he reveals,
they are most blessed.
> The fear of the Lord enables us to see what God is doing.
19 It takes more than talk to keep workers in line;
mere words go in one ear and out the other.
20 Observe the people who always talk before they think—
even simpletons are better off than they are.
> Some people don't listen their authorities, some people don't think before saying anything.
21 If you let people treat you like a doormat,
you’ll be quite forgotten in the end.
> This verse is very different from other translations. A more normal translation is: He who pampers his slave from childhood Will find him to be a son in the end. Eugene Peterson saw something like: a slave must talk to his superior with respect, and the superior must impose this respect. It is very common nowadays to see parents that let their children addressing to them with no respect.
24 Befriend an outlaw
and become an enemy to yourself.
When the victims cry out,
you’ll be included in their curses
if you’re a coward to their cause in court.
> How fool is the friend of an outlaw!
25 The fear of human opinion disables;
trusting in God protects you from that.
> The fear of the Lord gives us courage and enables us to do great things.
26 Everyone tries to get help from the leader,
but only God will give us justice.
> Justice comes from the Lord.
27 Good people can’t stand the sight of deliberate evil;
the wicked can’t stand the sight of well-chosen goodness.
> The wicked is very upset by the sight of goodness because it condemns him.
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