Read this verse with the one that follows. The two form a pair about a city's fortunes.
Quick answer
A community can tell the difference. When good people flourish, everyone feels it, which is a claim about how public a private character eventually becomes.
Read both lines
The verse widens the lens from individuals to a town, and the observation is civic. The righteous in this book are not merely inoffensive; they deal fairly, keep their word, and pay what they owe, and a city full of that is a city that works. The second line is harder in tone and reflects a community's relief when a genuinely destructive person loses the power to destroy. Read with verse 11, which spells out the mechanism, the pair is making a single point about how much of public life rides on private integrity.
Related: Proverbs 11:11 · Proverbs 29:2 · Proverbs 28:12
New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. Full copyright information. Scripture provided by API.Bible.
Go Deeper
If this verse has been used to put weight on you that it was never carrying, ask about it directly.