Proverbs 17:15-18:24

New International Version

¹⁵ Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent^(A)—
    the Lord detests them both.^(B)

¹⁶ Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom,
    when they are not able to understand it?^(C)

¹⁷ A friend loves at all times,
    and a brother is born for a time of adversity.^(D)

¹⁸ One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge
    and puts up security for a neighbor.^(E)

¹⁹ Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin;
    whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.

²⁰ One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper;
    one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.

²¹ To have a fool for a child brings grief;
    there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.^(F)

²² A cheerful heart is good medicine,
    but a crushed^(G) spirit dries up the bones.^(H)

²³ The wicked accept bribes^(I) in secret
    to pervert the course of justice.^(J)

²⁴ A discerning person keeps wisdom in view,
    but a fool’s eyes^(K) wander to the ends of the earth.

²⁵ A foolish son brings grief to his father
    and bitterness to the mother who bore him.^(L)

²⁶ If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good,^(M)
    surely to flog honest officials is not right.

²⁷ The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,^(N)
    and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.^(O)

²⁸ Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
    and discerning if they hold their tongues.^(P)

18 An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
    and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.

² Fools find no pleasure in understanding
    but delight in airing their own opinions.^(Q)

³ When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
    and with shame comes reproach.

⁴ The words of the mouth are deep waters,^(R)
    but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.

⁵ It is not good to be partial to the wicked^(S)
    and so deprive the innocent of justice.^(T)

⁶ The lips of fools bring them strife,
    and their mouths invite a beating.^(U)

⁷ The mouths of fools are their undoing,
    and their lips are a snare^(V) to their very lives.^(W)

⁸ The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
    they go down to the inmost parts.^(X)

⁹ One who is slack in his work
    is brother to one who destroys.^(Y)

¹⁰ The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;^(Z)
    the righteous run to it and are safe.^(AA)

¹¹ The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;^(AB)
    they imagine it a wall too high to scale.

¹² Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
    but humility comes before honor.^(AC)

¹³ To answer before listening—
    that is folly and shame.^(AD)

¹⁴ The human spirit can endure in sickness,
    but a crushed spirit who can bear?^(AE)

¹⁵ The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,^(AF)
    for the ears of the wise seek it out.

¹⁶ A gift^(AG) opens the way
    and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.

¹⁷ In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,
    until someone comes forward and cross-examines.

¹⁸ Casting the lot settles disputes^(AH)
    and keeps strong opponents apart.

¹⁹ A brother wronged^(AI) is more unyielding than a fortified city;
    disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.

²⁰ From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
    with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.^(AJ)

²¹ The tongue has the power of life and death,^(AK)
    and those who love it will eat its fruit.^(AL)

²² He who finds a wife finds what is good^(AM)
    and receives favor from the Lord.^(AN)

²³ The poor plead for mercy,
    but the rich answer harshly.

²⁴ One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
    but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.^(AO)