Proverbs 17
17
1It is better to eat a dry crust of bread in peace
than to have a feast where there is quarreling.
2A wise servant will rule over the master’s disgraceful child
and will even inherit a share of what the master leaves his children.
3A hot furnace tests silver and gold,
but the Lord tests hearts.
4Evil people listen to evil words.
Liars pay attention to cruel words.
5Whoever mistreats the poor insults their Maker;
whoever enjoys someone’s trouble will be punished.
6Old people are proud of their grandchildren,
and children are proud of their parents.
7Fools should not be proud,
and rulers should not be liars.
8Some people think they can pay others to do anything they ask.
They think it will work every time.
9Whoever forgives someone’s sin makes a friend,
but gossiping about the sin breaks up friendships.
10A wise person will learn more from a warning
than a fool will learn from a hundred lashings.
11Disobedient people look only for trouble,
so a cruel messenger will be sent against them.
12It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than to meet a fool doing foolish things.
13Whoever gives evil in return for good
will always have trouble at home.
14Starting a quarrel is like a leak in a dam,
so stop it before a fight breaks out.
15The Lord hates both of these things:
freeing the guilty and punishing the innocent.
16It won’t do a fool any good to try to buy wisdom,
because he doesn’t have the ability to be wise.
17A friend loves you all the time,
and a brother helps in time of trouble.
18It is not wise to promise
to pay what your neighbor owes.
19Whoever loves to argue loves to sin.
Whoever brags a lot is asking for trouble.
20A person with an evil heart will find no success,
and the person whose words are evil will get into trouble.
21It is sad to have a foolish child;
there is no joy in being the parent of a fool.
22A happy heart is like good medicine,
but a broken spirit drains your strength.
23When the wicked accept money to do wrong
there can be no justice.
24The person with understanding is always looking for wisdom,
but the mind of a fool wanders everywhere.
25Foolish children make their father sad
and cause their mother great sorrow.
26It is not good to punish the innocent
or to beat leaders for being honest.
27The wise say very little,
and those with understanding stay calm.
28Even fools seem to be wise if they keep quiet;
if they don’t speak, they appear to understand.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 17
17
1Better a dry crust with peace
than a house full of feasting with strife. # Pr 15:17; 21:9,19; 25:24
2A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son
and share an inheritance among brothers.
3A crucible for silver, and a smelter for gold, # Pr 27:21
and the Lord is the tester of hearts. # 1Ch 29:17; Ps 26:2; Pr 16:2; 21:2; Is 48:10; Jr 17:10; Mal 3:3
4A wicked person listens to malicious talk; # Lit to lips of iniquity
a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.
5The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker, # Pr 14:31; 21:13
and one who rejoices over calamity
will not go unpunished. # Jb 31:29; Pr 24:17; Lm 1:21-22; Ezk 25:6-7; 35:15; Ob 12
6Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly,
and the pride of sons is their fathers.
7Eloquent words are not appropriate on a fool’s lips;
how much worse are lies for a ruler.
8A bribe # Ex 23:8; Is 1:23; Am 5:12 seems like a magic stone to its owner;
wherever he turns, he succeeds. # Pr 18:16; 19:6; 21:14
9Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, # Pr 10:12; Jms 5:20; 1Pt 4:8
but whoever gossips about it separates friends. # Lv 19:16; Pr 11:13; 16:28
10A rebuke cuts into a perceptive person
more than a hundred lashes into a fool.
11An evil man seeks only rebellion;
a cruel messenger # Or a merciless angel #Ps 78:49 will be sent against him.
12Better for a man to meet a bear robbed of her cubs # 2Sm 17:8; Hs 13:8
than a fool in his foolishness.
13If anyone returns evil for good, # Ps 35:12; 109:5
evil will never depart from his house. # 2Sm 12:10
14To start a conflict is to release a flood;
stop the dispute before it breaks out. # Pr 20:3; 25:8
15Acquitting the guilty and condemning the just # Ex 23:7; Pr 17:26; 18:5; 24:23-24; Is 5:23 —
both are detestable to the Lord.
16Why does a fool have money in his hand
with no intention of buying wisdom? # Pr 4:5,7; 18:15; 23:23
17A friend loves at all times, # Ru 1:16; Pr 18:24; 27:10
and a brother is born for a difficult time.
18One without sense enters an agreement # Lit sense shakes hands
and puts up security for his friend. # Pr 6:1-5; 11:15; 22:26
19One who loves to offend loves strife; # Pr 29:22
one who builds a high threshold invites injury.
20One with a twisted mind will not succeed,
and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin. # Jr 23:36
21A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow;
the father of a fool has no joy. # Pr 10:1; 17:25; 19:13; 23:24-25
22A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit dries up the bones. # Ps 22:15; Pr 14:30; 15:13; 18:14
23A wicked man secretly takes a bribe # Pr 17:8
to subvert the course of justice. # Dt 16:19; Ps 15:5; Pr 18:5; Mc 3:11; 7:3
24Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive,
but a fool’s eyes # Ec 2:14 roam to the ends of the earth.
25A foolish son is grief to his father
and bitterness to the one who bore him. # Pr 10:1; 17:21; 19:13
26It is certainly not good to fine an innocent person
or to beat a noble for his honesty. # Or noble unfairly # Pr 17:15; 18:5; 24:23-24
27The intelligent person restrains his words, # Pr 10:19; Jms 1:19; 3:2
and one who keeps a cool head # Lit spirit
is a man of understanding.
28Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent,
discerning when he seals his lips. # Jb 13:5; Pr 10:19
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