Pro 17 | NASB2020 | STEP | Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it Than a house full of feasting with strife .

Proverbs 17

Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked

1 ^aBetter is a dry morsel and quietness with it
Than a house full of ^{▼▼Lit sacrifices of strife}feasting with strife.
2 A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully,
And will share in the inheritance among brothers.
3 The ^crefining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But ^dthe Lord tests hearts.
4 An ^eevildoer listens to wicked lips;
A ^{▼▼Lit falsehood}liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.
5 One who mocks the ^gpoor taunts his Maker;
One who ^hrejoices at disaster will not go unpunished.
6 ⁱGrandchildren are the crown of the old,
And the ^jglory of sons is their fathers.
7 ^{▼▼Lit A lip of abundance
,} ^lExcellent speech is not fitting for a fool,
Much less are ^mlying lips to a prince.
8 A ⁿbribe is a ^{▼▼Lit stone of favor}charm in the sight of its owner;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.
9 One who ^pconceals an offense seeks love,
But one who repeats a matter ^qseparates close friends.
10 A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding
Than a hundred blows into a fool.
11 A rebellious person seeks only evil,
So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 Let a ^rperson meet a ^sbear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his foolishness.
13 One who ^treturns evil for good,
^uEvil will not depart from his house.
14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
So ^vabandon the quarrel before it breaks out.
15 One who ^wjustifies the wicked and one who condemns the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
16 Why is there money in the hand of a fool to ^xbuy wisdom,
When ^{▼▼Lit there is no heart}he has no sense?
17 A ^zfriend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
18 A person lacking in ^{▼▼Lit heart}sense ^abshakes hands
And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.
19 One who ^acloves wrongdoing loves strife;
One who ^admakes his doorway high seeks destruction.
20 One who has a crooked ^{▼▼Lit heart}mind ^affinds nothing good,
And one who is ^{▼▼Lit altered in his tongue
,} ^ahcorrupted in his language falls into evil.
21 He who ^aifathers a fool does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.
22 A ^ajjoyful heart ^{▼▼Lit causes good healing}is good medicine,
But a broken spirit ^aldries up the bones.
23 A wicked person accepts a ^ambribe ^{▼▼Lit a fold in a robe; i.e., secretly}from an inside pocket
To ^aopervert the ways of justice.
24 Wisdom is in the presence of one who has understanding,
But the ^apeyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25 A ^aqfoolish son is a grief to his father,
And ^arbitterness to her who gave birth to him.
26 It is also not good to ^asfine the righteous,
Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
27 One who ^atwithholds his words ^{▼▼Lit knows}has knowledge,
And one who has a ^avcool spirit is a person of understanding.
28 Even a fool, when he ^awkeeps silent, is considered wise;
When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.