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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Proverbs 17: NCV
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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 and quiet
than a house full of feasting, with strife.
2A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son
and will share the inheritance as one of the family.
3The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
but the Lord tests the heart.
4A wicked person listens to deceitful lips;
a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.
5Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker;
whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
6Children’s children are a crown to the aged,
and parents are the pride of their children.
7Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool –
how much worse lying lips to a ruler!
8A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it;
they think success will come at every turn.
9Whoever would foster love covers over an offence,
but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
10A rebuke impresses a discerning person
more than a hundred lashes a fool.
11Evildoers foster rebellion against God;
the messenger of death will be sent against them.
12Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than a fool bent on folly.
13Evil will never leave the house
of one who pays back evil for good.
14Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
15Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent –
the Lord detests them both.
16Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom,
when they are not able to understand it?
17A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
18One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge
and puts up security for a neighbour.
19Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin;
whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.
20One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper;
one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.
21To have a fool for a child brings grief;
there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.
22A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
23The wicked accept bribes in secret
to pervert the course of justice.
24A discerning person keeps wisdom in view,
but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
25A foolish son brings grief to his father
and bitterness to the mother who bore him.
26If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good,
surely to flog honest officials is not right.
27The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,
and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.
28Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
and discerning if they hold their tongues.
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®
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