When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan. When good people rule, the people rejoice For everyone benefits with their righteous choice, But when the wicked are in charge of the throne, Everyone loses, and the people all groan.

1. PROVERBS 29 I

2. POETRY
By Glenn Pease
Proverbs 29
1 A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes
will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.
A stubborn stiff-necked man after many rebukes
Will be suddenly wiped out as with atomic nukes.
He listens to no one, and common sense he does lack,
And when he comes to judgment, there is no turning back.
2 When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;
when the wicked rule, the people groan.
When good people rule, the people rejoice
For everyone benefits with their righteous choice,
But when the wicked are in charge of the throne,
Everyone loses, and the people all groan.
3 A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,
but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.
A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his dad,
But the fool goes astray and just makes him sad.
He goes off with prostitutes and puts risk on his health,
And just like the Prodigal he squanders his wealth.
4 By justice a king gives a country stability,
but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down.
A king by his justice keeps his country stable,
For he does the right thing all the time he is able.
But those greedy for bribes tear it all down,
And bring shame on the nation, and especially the crown.
5 Whoever flatters his neighbor
is spreading a net for his feet.
It really does matter when fools always flatter,
And this is a lesson we need often repeat,
For we don't see they are as mad as a hatter,
and are only spreading a net for our feet.
6 An evil man is snared by his own sin,
but a righteous one can sing and be glad.

3. The evil man walks right into a snare.

4. ot even seeing his own sin brought him there.
But the righteous can run like a bird on the wing,
And all along the way his glad heart will sing.
7 The righteous care about justice for the poor,
but the wicked have no such concern.
The good man cares for all, but for some even more,
For he longs for pure justice when it comes to the poor.
The wicked will have forever a conscience in burn,
For they never one day in their life had this concern.
8 Mockers stir up a city,
but wise men turn away anger.
It is sad to say, and I say it with pity,
That mockers just try to stir up a city.
The wise man has a far better way,
For he turns foolish anger out and away.
9 If a wise man goes to court with a fool,
the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.
If a wise man goes to court with a fool,
The result is so sure, it is almost a rule,
For he will rage and scoff and strife will increase,
And dealings with him will not end in peace.
10 Bloodthirsty men hate a man of integrity
and seek to kill the upright.
Bloodthirsty men hate the man that stands tall,
And refuses to bow to men who think small.
They clearly have minds not too sharp or bright,
For they just want to kill those who are upright.
11 A fool gives full vent to his anger,
but a wise man keeps himself under control.
To his own anger a fool will give his full vent,
For that is the way his warped mind is bent,
But the wise man keep himself under control,
For to be wise and good is his primary goal.
12 If a ruler listens to lies,
all his officials become wicked.

5. If a ruler opens himself up to lies
It will effect many other guys,
For all his officials with think it is true,
It is all okay for them to lie too.
13 The poor man and the oppressor have this in common:
The LORD gives sight to the eyes of both.
Men on opposite sides of the track
Both have God watching their back.
Some are poor and others are rich,
But God give eyes to keep both out of the ditch.
14 If a king judges the poor with fairness,
his throne will always be secure.
It might be with kings a thing that is rare,
That they treat the poor with judgment that's fair,
But one thing is certain, and of this it is sure,
The king who will do so, has a throne always secure.
15 The rod of correction imparts wisdom,
but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.
The rod of correction will make a child wise,
And mother will become truly great in his eyes,
But if mom let this kid do whatever he chooses,
She will learn too late that this way she looses.
16 When the wicked thrive, so does sin,
but the righteous will see their downfall.
When the wicked thrive on the top of the hill,
Sin will abound like gin at a still,
But the righteous must be patient and wait,
For an ultimate fall will still be their fate.
17 Discipline your son, and he will give you peace;
he will bring delight to your soul.
A disciplined child may nasty words utter,
That make a mom cringed and inwardly shutter,
But in the long run she will gain the insight
That a disciplined son will bring peace and delight.
18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint;
but blessed is he who keeps the law.
Where God's will is not revealed, people lose restraint,

6. And they follow ways where sin their lives will taint.
But happy are those who God's clear law can see,
And follow it so from sins bondage be free.
19 A servant cannot be corrected by mere words;
though he understands, he will not respond.
Words to correct a servant are a good sample,
But they need also an excellent example.
Words can be clear and understood,
But they are not enough to make him do good.
20 Do you see a man who speaks in haste?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Do you see a man who speaks in haste?
His speed only lead to his own foolish waste.
If he refuses to learn from a different school,
He has less hope than an ignorant fool.
21 If a man pampers his servant from youth,
he will bring grief in the end.
If you pamper your child or your servant from youth,
You are training a life to be unstable like a baby's front tooth.
He will never stand strong, but will to every whim bend,
And he will always bring you much grief in the end.
22 An angry man stirs up dissension,
and a hot-tempered one commits many sins.
An angry man stirs up dissension,
And causes much trouble just for attention.
In his hot-tempered head is where trouble begins,
And it will never stop till he commits many sins.
23 A man's pride brings him low,
but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.
One of the things God's word will show,
Is a man's pride will always bring him low,
But if to stay lowly he will take pains,
God will assure that honor he gains.
24 The accomplice of a thief is his own enemy;
he is put under oath and dare not testify.
Join yourself to a thief, and you're guilty as he,
And to tell the truth you can never be free,

7. For now you are bound, and dare not testify,
For if you do, you are forced to lie.
Its a no win situation where none wants to be,
For you have become your own worst enemy.
25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.
Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
For then pleasing man is your ultimate care,
But trusting the Lord is the wise way to go,
For he'll keep you safe, and his grace he will show.
26 Many seek an audience with a ruler,
but it is from the LORD that man gets justice.
Many go to rulers to get what's fair and what's right,
But they then often leave their just God out of sight,
But he is the one that we need to go to for the justice we seek.
For he cares for the lowly, and lifts high those of the meek
27 The righteous detest the dishonest;
the wicked detest the upright.
The righteous and wicked are always detesting,
For each hates the nest in which the other is resting.
The righteous hate the dishonest, and the wicked the upright,
And so there's no light at the end of the tunnel in sight.
This conflict of values will go on as a never ending fight,
And will continue until God ends all darkness with eternal light.