Proverbs 17
17
1Better a bite of dry bread ⌞eaten⌟ in peace
than a family feast filled with strife.
2A wise slave will become master over a son who acts shamefully,
and he will share the inheritance with the brothers.
3The crucible is for refining silver and the smelter for gold,
but the one who purifies hearts ⌞by fire⌟ is the Lord.
4An evildoer pays attention to wicked lips.
A liar opens his ears to a slanderous tongue.
5Whoever makes fun of a poor person insults his maker.
Whoever is happy ⌞to see someone’s⌟ distress will not escape punishment.
6Grandchildren are the crown of grandparents,
and parents are the glory of their children.
The Consequences of Being a Fool
7Refined speech is not fitting for a godless fool.
How much less does lying fit a noble person!
8A bribe seems ⌞like⌟ a jewel to the one who gives it.#17:8 Or “who receives it.”
Wherever he turns, he prospers.
9Whoever forgives an offense seeks love,
but whoever keeps bringing up the issue separates the closest of friends.
10A reprimand impresses a person who has understanding
more than a hundred lashes impress a fool.
11A rebel looks for nothing but evil.
Therefore, a cruel messenger will be sent ⌞to punish⌟ him.
12Better to meet a bear robbed of its cubs
than a fool ⌞carried away⌟ with his stupidity.
13Whoever pays back evil for good—
evil will never leave his home.
14Starting a quarrel is ⌞like⌟ opening a floodgate,
so stop before the argument gets out of control.
15Whoever approves of wicked people
and whoever condemns righteous people
is disgusting to the Lord.
16Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom
when he doesn’t have a mind to grasp anything?
17A friend always loves,
and a brother is born to share trouble.
18A person without good sense closes a deal with a handshake.
He guarantees a loan in the presence of his friend.
19Whoever loves sin loves a quarrel.
Whoever builds his city gate high invites destruction.
20A twisted mind never finds happiness,
and one with a devious tongue ⌞repeatedly⌟ gets into trouble.
21The parent of a fool has grief,
and the father of a godless fool has no joy.
22A joyful heart is good medicine,
but depression drains one’s strength.
23A wicked person secretly accepts a bribe to corrupt the ways of justice.
24Wisdom is directly in front of an understanding person,
but the eyes of a fool ⌞are looking around⌟ all over the world.
How Fools Live
25A foolish son is a heartache to his father
and bitter grief to his mother.
26To punish an innocent person is not good.
To strike down noble people is not right.
27Whoever has knowledge controls his words,
and a person who has understanding is even-tempered.
28Even a stubborn fool is thought to be wise if he keeps silent.
He is considered intelligent if he keeps his lips sealed.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 17
17
1 BETTER IS a dry morsel with quietness than a house full of feasting [on offered sacrifices] with strife.
2 A wise servant shall have rule over a son who causes shame, and shall share in the inheritance among the brothers.
3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tries the hearts. [Ps. 26:2; Prov. 27:21; Jer. 17:10; Mal. 3:3.]
4 An evildoer gives heed to wicked lips; and a liar listens to a mischievous tongue.
5 Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker, and he who is glad at calamity shall not be held innocent or go unpunished. [Job 31:29; Prov. 14:31; Obad. 12.]
6 Children's children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their fathers. [Ps. 127:3; 128:3.]
7 Fine or arrogant speech does not befit [an empty-headed] fool–much less do lying lips befit a prince.
8 A bribe is like a bright, precious stone that dazzles the eyes and affects the mind of him who gives it; [as if by magic] he prospers, whichever way he turns.
9 He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats or harps on a matter separates even close friends.
10 A reproof enters deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred lashes into a [self-confident] fool. [Isa. 32:6.]
11 An evil man seeks only rebellion; therefore a stern and pitiless messenger shall be sent against him.
12 Let [the brute ferocity of] a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man rather than a [self-confident] fool in his folly [when he is in a rage]. [Hos. 13:8.]
13 Whoever rewards evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house. [Ps. 109:4, 5; Jer. 18:20.]
14 The beginning of strife is as when water first trickles [from a crack in a dam]; therefore stop contention before it becomes worse and quarreling breaks out.
15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both an abomination [exceedingly disgusting and hateful] to the Lord. [Exod. 23:7; Prov. 24:24; Isa. 5:23.]
16 Of what use is money in the hand of a [self-confident] fool to buy skillful and godly Wisdom–when he has no understanding or heart for it?
17 A friend loves at all times, and is born, as is a brother, for adversity.
18 A man void of good sense gives a pledge and becomes security for another in the presence of his neighbor.
19 He who loves strife and is quarrelsome loves transgression and involves himself in guilt; he who raises high his gateway and is boastful and arrogant invites destruction.
20 He who has a wayward and crooked mind finds no good, and he who has a willful and contrary tongue will fall into calamity. [James 3:8.]
21 He who becomes the parent of a [self-confident] fool does it to his sorrow, and the father of [an empty-headed] fool has no joy [in him].
22 A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. [Prov. 12:25; 15:13, 15.]
23 A wicked man receives a bribe out of the bosom (pocket) to pervert the ways of justice.
24 A man of understanding sets skillful and godly Wisdom before his face, but the eyes of a [self-confident] fool are on the ends of the earth.
25 A self-confident and foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.
26 Also, to punish or fine the righteous is not good, nor to smite the noble for their uprightness.
27 He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding has a cool spirit. [James 1:19.]
28 Even a fool when he holds his peace is considered wise; when he closes his lips he is esteemed a man of understanding.
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