Proverbs 29:4-8
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
4 By justice a king builds up the land;
but one who raises taxes tears it down.[a]
5 Those who speak flattery to their neighbor
cast a net at their feet.[b]
6 The sin of the wicked is a trap,
but the just run along joyfully.(A)
7 The just care for the cause of the poor;
the wicked do not understand such care.[c]
8 Scoffers enflame the city,
but the wise calm the fury.(B)
Footnotes
- 29:4 In Hebrew as in English high and low are metaphors for prosperity and depression. A king who is just “causes the land to stand up,” i.e., to be prosperous, and one who makes taxes high brings a country low.
- 29:5 When one addresses deceptive words to someone’s face, one equivalently throws a net at their feet to snare them.
- 29:7 As in 12:10 (on care for animals), the righteous care for those who are without a voice and often treated like animals. Colon B has a double meaning: the wicked have no such knowledge (care for the poor) and they have no knowledge (wisdom), for they are fools.
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