Proverbs 17
1 Better a dry crust with peacethan a house full of feasting with strife. a2 A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son
and share an inheritance among brothers.
3 A crucible for silver, and a smelter for gold, b
and the Lord is the tester of hearts. c
4 A wicked person listens to malicious talk; ▼
▼Lit to lips of iniquity
a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.
5 The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker, e
and one who rejoices over calamity
will not go unpunished. f
6 Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly,
and the pride of sons is their fathers.
7 Eloquent words are not appropriate on a fool’s lips;
how much worse are lies for a ruler.
8 A bribe g seems like a magic stone to its owner;
wherever he turns, he succeeds. h
9 Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, i
but whoever gossips about it separates friends. j
10 A rebuke cuts into a perceptive person
more than a hundred lashes into a fool.
11 An evil man seeks only rebellion;
a cruel messenger ▼
▼Or a merciless angel
,
l will be sent against him. 12 Better for a man to meet a bear robbed of her cubs m
than a fool in his foolishness.
13 If anyone returns evil for good, n
evil will never depart from his house. o
14 To start a conflict is to release a flood;
stop the dispute before it breaks out. p
15 Acquitting the ▼
▼guilt/guilty: The liability to be punished for a fault, a sin, an act, or an omission unless there is forgiveness or atonement; the term normally concerns an objective fact, not a subjective feeling.
guilty and condemning the just r – both are detestable to the Lord.
16 Why does a fool have money in his hand
with no intention of buying wisdom? s
17 A friend loves at all times, t
and a brother is born for a difficult time.
18 One without sense enters an agreement ▼
▼Lit sense shakes hands
and puts up security for his friend. v
19 One who loves to offend loves strife; w
one who builds a high threshold invites injury.
20 One with a twisted mind will not succeed,
and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin. x
21 A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow;
the father of a fool has no joy. y
22 A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit dries up the bones. z
23 A wicked man secretly takes a bribe aa
to subvert the course of justice. ab
24 Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive,
but a fool’s eyes ac roam to the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son is grief to his father
and bitterness to the one who bore him. ad
26 It is certainly not good to fine an innocent person
or to beat a noble for his honesty. ▼
▼Or noble unfairly
,
af 27 The intelligent person restrains his words, ag
and one who keeps a cool head ▼
▼Lit spirit
is a man of understanding.
28 Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent,
discerning when he seals his lips. ai
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