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Proverbs 17
International Children’s Bible
Proverbs 17
International Children’s Bible
17 It is better to eat a dry crust of bread in peace
than to have a feast where there is quarreling.
2 A wise servant will rule over his master’s disgraceful son.
And he will even inherit a share of what the master leaves his sons.
3 A hot furnace tests silver and gold.
In the same way, the Lord tests a person’s heart.
4 An evil person listens to evil words.
A liar pays attention to cruel words.
5 If you make fun of the poor,
you insult God, who made them.
If you laugh at someone’s trouble,
you will be punished.
6 Grandchildren are the reward of old people.
And children are proud of their parents.
7 Foolish people should not be proud.
And rulers should not be liars!
8 A person might think he can pay people and they will do anything he asks.
He thinks it will succeed every time.
9 Whoever forgives someone’s sin makes a friend.
But the one who tells about the sin breaks up friendships.
10 A wise man will learn more from a warning
than a foolish person will learn from 100 lashings.
11 A disobedient person is only looking for trouble.
So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than to meet a foolish person doing foolish things.
13 If a person gives evil in return for good,
his house will always be full of trouble.
14 Starting a quarrel is like a leak in a dam.
So stop the quarrel before a fight breaks out.
15 The Lord hates both these things:
letting guilty people go free and punishing those who are not guilty.
16 It won’t do a fool any good to try to buy wisdom.
He doesn’t really want to be wise.
17 A friend loves you all the time.
A brother is always there to help you.
18 It is not wise to promise
to pay what your neighbor owes.
19 Whoever loves to quarrel loves to sin.
Whoever is proud is asking for trouble.
20 A person with an evil heart will find no success.
And the person whose words are evil will get into trouble.
21 It is sad to have a foolish son.
There is no joy in being the father of a fool.
22 A happy heart is like good medicine.
But a broken spirit drains your strength.
23 A wicked person secretly accepts money to do wrong.
Then there will be no fairness.
24 The person with understanding looks for wisdom.
But a foolish person lets his mind wander everywhere.
25 A foolish son makes his father sad.
And he causes his mother great sorrow.
26 It is not good to punish those who have done what is right.
Nor is it good to punish leaders for being honest.
27 The person who has knowledge says very little.
And a person with understanding stays calm.
28 Even a foolish person seems to be wise if he keeps quiet.
He appears to have understanding if he doesn’t speak.
Proverbs 17
New American Standard Bible 1995
Proverbs 17
New American Standard Bible 1995
Contrast the Upright and the Wicked
17 (A)Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it
Than a house full of [a]feasting with strife.
2 A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully,
And will share in the inheritance among brothers.
3 The (B)refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But (C)the Lord tests hearts.
4 An (D)evildoer listens to wicked lips;
A [b]liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.
5 He who mocks the (E)poor taunts his Maker;
He who (F)rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.
6 (G)Grandchildren are the crown of old men,
And the (H)glory of sons is their fathers.
7 [c](I)Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool,
Much less are (J)lying lips to a prince.
8 A (K)bribe is a [d]charm in the sight of its owner;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.
9 He who (L)conceals a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter (M)separates intimate friends.
10 A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding
Than a hundred blows into a fool.
11 A rebellious man seeks only evil,
So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 Let a (N)man meet a (O)bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.
13 He who (P)returns evil for good,
(Q)Evil will not depart from his house.
14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
So (R)abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.
15 He who (S)justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
16 Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to (T)buy wisdom,
When [e]he has no sense?
17 A (U)friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
18 A man lacking in [f]sense [g](V)pledges
And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.
19 He who (W)loves transgression loves strife;
He who (X)raises his door seeks destruction.
20 He who has a crooked [h]mind (Y)finds no good,
And he who is (Z)perverted in his language falls into evil.
21 He who (AA)sires a fool does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.
22 A (AB)joyful heart [i]is good medicine,
But a broken spirit (AC)dries up the bones.
23 A wicked man receives a (AD)bribe from the bosom
To (AE)pervert the ways of justice.
24 Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding,
But the (AF)eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25 A (AG)foolish son is a grief to his father
And (AH)bitterness to her who bore him.
26 It is also not good to (AI)fine the righteous,
Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
27 He who (AJ)restrains his words [j]has knowledge,
And he who has a (AK)cool spirit is a man of understanding.
28 Even a fool, when he (AL)keeps silent, is considered wise;
When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 17:1 Lit sacrifices of strife
- Proverbs 17:4 Lit falsehood
- Proverbs 17:7 Lit A lip of abundance
- Proverbs 17:8 Lit stone of favor
- Proverbs 17:16 Lit there is no heart
- Proverbs 17:18 Lit heart
- Proverbs 17:18 Lit shakes hands
- Proverbs 17:20 Lit heart
- Proverbs 17:22 Lit causes good healing
- Proverbs 17:27 Lit knows
Proverbs 17
New International Version
Proverbs 17
New International Version
17 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
than a house full of feasting, with strife.(A)
2 A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son
and will share the inheritance as one of the family.
4 A wicked person listens to deceitful lips;
a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.
5 Whoever mocks the poor(D) shows contempt for their Maker;(E)
whoever gloats over disaster(F) will not go unpunished.(G)
6 Children’s children(H) are a crown to the aged,
and parents are the pride of their children.
7 Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool—
how much worse lying lips to a ruler!(I)
8 A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it;
they think success will come at every turn.(J)
9 Whoever would foster love covers over an offense,(K)
but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.(L)
10 A rebuke impresses a discerning person
more than a hundred lashes a fool.
11 Evildoers foster rebellion against God;
the messenger of death will be sent against them.
12 Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than a fool bent on folly.(M)
14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.(P)
16 Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom,
when they are not able to understand it?(S)
17 A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for a time of adversity.(T)
18 One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge
and puts up security for a neighbor.(U)
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.(V)
24 A discerning person keeps wisdom in view,
but a fool’s eyes(AA) wander to the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son brings grief to his father
and bitterness to the mother who bore him.(AB)
26 If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good,(AC)
surely to flog honest officials is not right.
27 The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,(AD)
and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.(AE)
28 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
and discerning if they hold their tongues.(AF)
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The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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