Proverbs 17:9-22
Proverbs 17:9-22 CSB
Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but whoever gossips about it separates friends. A rebuke cuts into a perceptive person more than a hundred lashes into a fool. An evil person desires only rebellion; a cruel messenger , will be sent against him. Better for a person to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his foolishness. If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never depart from his house. To start a conflict is to release a flood; stop the dispute before it breaks out. Acquitting the guilty and condemning the just — both are detestable to the Lord. Why does a fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom? A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time. One without sense enters an agreement and puts up security for his friend. One who loves to offend loves strife; one who builds a high threshold invites injury. One with a twisted mind will not succeed, and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin. A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow; the father of a fool has no joy. A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.





