Proverbs 17
1
Better is a dry
morsel with quietness,
Than a house full of
feasting[a]with
strife.
2 A wise servant will
rule over a son who causes
shame,
And will share an
inheritance among the
brothers.
3 The refining pot
is for silver and the
furnace for gold,
But the LORD tests the
hearts.
4 An evildoer gives
heed to false lips;
A liar listens eagerly
to a spiteful tongue.
5 He who mocks the
poor reproaches his Maker;
He who is glad at
calamity will not go
unpunished.
6 Children’s children
are the crown of old
men,
And the glory of
children is their
father.
7 Excellent speech is
not becoming to a fool,
Much less lying lips
to a prince.
8 A present is
a precious stone in the eyes
of its possessor;
Wherever he turns, he
prospers.
9 He who covers a
transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a
matter separates friends.
10 Rebuke is more
effective for a wise man
Than a hundred blows
on a fool.
11 An evil man
seeks only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel
messenger will be sent
against him.
12 Let a man meet a
bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in
his folly.
13 Whoever rewards
evil for good,
Evil will not depart
from his house.
14 The beginning of
strife is like
releasing water;
Therefore stop
contention before a quarrel
starts.
15 He who justifies
the wicked, and he who
condemns the just,
Both of them alike
are an abomination to
the LORD.
16 Why is there
in the hand of a fool the
purchase price of wisdom,
Since he has no
heart for it?
17 A friend loves at
all times,
And a brother is born
for adversity.
18 A man devoid of
understanding shakes hands
in a pledge,
And becomes
surety for his friend.
19 He who loves
transgression loves strife,
And he who exalts his
gate seeks destruction.
20 He who has a
deceitful heart finds no
good,
And he who has a
perverse tongue falls into
evil.
21 He who begets a
scoffer does so
to his sorrow,
And the father of a
fool has no joy.
22 A merry heart does
good, like medicine,[b]
But a broken spirit
dries the bones.
23 A wicked man
accepts a bribe behind the
back[c]
To pervert the ways of
justice.
24 Wisdom is
in the sight of him who has
understanding,
But the eyes of a fool
are on the ends of
the earth.
25 A foolish son
is a grief to his
father,
And bitterness to her
who bore him.
26 Also, to punish
the righteous is not
good,
Nor to strike
princes for their
uprightness.
27 He who has
knowledge spares his words,
And a man of
understanding is of a calm
spirit.
28 Even a fool is
counted wise when he holds
his peace;
When he shuts
his lips, he is
considered perceptive.
Footnotes:
-
Proverbs 17:1 Or
sacrificial meals
-
Proverbs 17:22 Or
makes medicine even
better
-
Proverbs 17:23
Literally from the
bosom
