Proverbs 17-22

New American Standard Bible

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 One who mocks the ^(E)poor taunts his Maker;
One who ^(F)rejoices at disaster will not go unpunished.
^6 (G)Grandchildren are the crown of the old,
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 One who ^(L)conceals an offense seeks love,
But one who repeats a matter ^(M)separates close friends.
¹⁰ A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding
Than a hundred blows into a fool.
¹¹ A rebellious person seeks only evil,
So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
¹² Let a ^(N)person meet a ^(O)bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his foolishness.
¹³ One 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 One who ^(S)justifies the wicked and one who condemns the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
¹⁶ Why is there money 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 person lacking in ^[f]sense ^(V)shakes hands
And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.
¹⁹ One who ^(W)loves wrongdoing loves strife;
One who ^(X)makes his doorway high seeks destruction.
²⁰ One who has a crooked ^[g]mind ^(Y)finds nothing good,
And one who is ^[h](Z)corrupted in his language falls into evil.
²¹ He who ^(AA)fathers 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 person accepts a ^(AD)bribe ^[j]from an inside pocket
To ^(AE)pervert the ways of justice.
²⁴ Wisdom is in the presence of 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 gave birth to him.
²⁶ It is also not good to ^(AI)fine the righteous,
Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
²⁷ One who ^(AJ)withholds his words ^[k]has knowledge,
And one who has a ^(AK)cool spirit is a person of understanding.
²⁸ Even a fool, when he ^(AL)keeps silent, is considered wise;
When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.

18 One who separates himself seeks his own desire;
He ^[l](AM)quarrels against all sound wisdom.
² A fool does not delight in understanding,
But ^(AN)in revealing his own ^[m]mind.
³ When a wicked person comes, contempt also comes,
And with dishonor comes taunting.
⁴ The words of a person’s mouth are ^(AO)deep waters;
^[n]The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
⁵ To ^(AP)show partiality to the wicked is not good,
Nor to ^(AQ)suppress the righteous in judgment.
⁶ A fool’s lips ^[o]bring strife,
And his mouth invites ^(AR)beatings.
⁷ A ^(AS)fool’s mouth is his ruin,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.
⁸ The words of a gossiper are like dainty morsels,
And they go down into the ^[p]innermost parts of the body.
⁹ He also who is ^(AT)lax in his work
^(AU)Is a brother to him who destroys.
¹⁰ The ^(AV)name of the Lord is a ^(AW)strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and ^(AX)is ^[q]safe.
¹¹ A ^(AY)rich person’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own imagination.
^12 (AZ)Before destruction the heart of a person is haughty,
But ^(BA)humility goes before honor.
¹³ One who ^(BB)gives an answer before he hears,
It is foolishness and shame to him.
¹⁴ The ^(BC)spirit of a person can endure his sickness,
But as for a ^(BD)broken spirit, who can endure it?
¹⁵ The ^[r](BE)mind of the discerning acquires knowledge,
And the ^(BF)ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
¹⁶ A person’s ^(BG)gift makes room for him
And brings him before great people.
¹⁷ The first ^[s]to plead his case seems right,
Until ^[t]another comes and examines him.
¹⁸ The cast ^(BH)lot puts an end to quarrels,
And ^[u]decides between the mighty ones.
¹⁹ A brother who is offended is harder to be won than a strong city,
And quarrels are like the bars of a citadel.
²⁰ With the ^[v](BI)fruit of a person’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied;
^(BJ)He will be satisfied with the product of his lips.
^21 (BK)Death and life are in the ^[w]power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its ^(BL)fruit.
²² He who finds a ^(BM)wife finds a good thing
And ^(BN)obtains favor from the Lord.
²³ A ^(BO)poor person utters pleadings,
But a ^(BP)rich person ^(BQ)answers defiantly.
²⁴ A person of too many friends comes to ^[x]ruin,
But there is ^(BR)a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

19 ^(BS)Better is a poor person who ^(BT)walks in his integrity
Than a person who is perverse in ^[y]speech and is a fool.
² Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,
And one who hurries ^[z](BU)his footsteps ^[aa]errs.
³ The ^(BV)foolishness of a person ruins his way,
And his heart ^(BW)rages against the Lord.
^4 (BX)Wealth adds many friends,
But a poor person is separated from his friend.
⁵ A ^(BY)false witness will not go unpunished,
And one who ^(BZ)declares lies will not escape.
^6 (CA)Many will seek the favor of a ^[ab]generous person,
And every person is a friend to ^(CB)him who gives gifts.
⁷ All the brothers of a poor person hate him;
How much more do his ^(CC)friends abandon him!
He ^(CD)pursues them with words, but they are ^[ac]gone.
⁸ One who gets ^[ad]wisdom loves his own soul;
One who keeps understanding will ^(CE)find good.
⁹ A ^(CF)false witness will not go unpunished,
And one who declares lies will perish.
¹⁰ Luxury is ^(CG)not fitting for a fool;
Much less for a ^(CH)slave to rule over princes.
¹¹ A person’s ^(CI)discretion makes him slow to anger,
And it is his glory ^(CJ)to overlook an offense.
¹² A ^(CK)king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,
But his favor is like ^(CL)dew on the grass.
¹³ A ^(CM)foolish son is destruction to his father,
And the ^(CN)quarrels of a wife are a constant dripping.
¹⁴ House and wealth are an ^(CO)inheritance from fathers,
But a prudent wife is from the Lord.
^15 (CP)Laziness casts one into a deep sleep,
And ^[ae]a lazy ^[af]person will suffer hunger.
¹⁶ One who ^(CQ)keeps the commandment keeps his soul,
But one who ^[ag]is careless of ^[ah]conduct will die.
¹⁷ One who ^(CR)is gracious to a poor person lends to the Lord,
And He will repay him for his ^[ai](CS)good deed.
^18 (CT)Discipline your son while there is hope,
And do not desire ^[aj]his death.
¹⁹ A person of great anger will suffer the penalty,
For if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.
^20 (CU)Listen to advice and accept discipline,
So that you may be wise ^[ak]the rest of your days.
²¹ Many ^(CV)plans are in a person’s heart,
But the ^(CW)advice of the Lord will stand.
²² What is desirable in a person is his ^[al]kindness,
And it is better to be a poor person than a liar.
^23 [am]The ^(CX)fear of the Lord leads to life,
So that one may sleep ^(CY)satisfied, ^[an](CZ)untouched by evil.
²⁴ The ^[ao](DA)lazy one buries his hand ^(DB)in the dish,
But will not even bring it back to his mouth.
^25 (DC)Strike a scoffer and the naive may become clever,
But ^(DD)rebuke one who has understanding, and he will ^[ap]gain knowledge.
²⁶ He ^(DE)who assaults his father and drives his mother away
Is a shameful and disgraceful son.
²⁷ Stop listening, my son, to discipline,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.
²⁸ A worthless witness makes a mockery of justice,
And the mouth of the wicked ^[aq](DF)swallows wrongdoing.
^29 [ar]Judgments are prepared for ^(DG)scoffers,
And ^(DH)beatings for the backs of fools.

20 ^(DI)Wine is a mocker, ^(DJ)intoxicating drink a brawler,
And whoever ^[as]is intoxicated by it is not wise.
² The terror of a king is like the roaring of a lion;
One who provokes him to anger ^[at](DK)forfeits his own life.
^3 (DL)Avoiding strife is an honor for a person,
But any fool will ^[au]quarrel.
⁴ The ^[av](DM)lazy one does not plow after the autumn,
So he ^[aw]begs during the harvest and has nothing.
⁵ A plan in the heart of a person is like deep water,
But a person of understanding draws it out.
⁶ Many a person ^(DN)proclaims his own loyalty,
But who can find a ^(DO)trustworthy person?
⁷ A righteous person who ^(DP)walks in his integrity—
^(DQ)How blessed are his sons after him.
^8 (DR)A king who sits on the throne of justice
^[ax]Disperses all evil with his eyes.
^9 (DS)Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart,
I am pure from my sin”?
^10 [ay](DT)Differing weights and differing measures,
Both of them are abominable to the Lord.
¹¹ It is by his deeds that a boy ^[az](DU)distinguishes himself,
If his conduct is pure and right.
¹² The hearing ^(DV)ear and the seeing eye,
The Lord has made both of them.
^13 (DW)Do not love sleep, or you will become poor;
Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with ^[ba]food.
¹⁴ “Bad, bad,” says the buyer,
But when he goes his way, then he boasts.
¹⁵ There is gold, and an abundance of ^[bb]jewels;
But lips of knowledge are a more precious thing.
¹⁶ Take his garment when he becomes guarantor for a stranger;
And for foreigners, seize a pledge from him.
^17 (DX)Bread obtained by a lie is sweet to a person,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.
¹⁸ Prepare ^(DY)plans by consultation,
And ^(DZ)make war by wise guidance.
¹⁹ One who ^(EA)goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets;
Therefore do not associate with ^[bc](EB)a gossip.
²⁰ He who ^(EC)curses his father or his mother,
His ^(ED)lamp will go out in time of darkness.
²¹ An inheritance gained in a hurry at the beginning
Will not be blessed in the end.
^22 (EE)Do not say, “I will repay evil”;
^(EF)Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.
^23 [bd](EG)Differing weights are an abomination to the Lord,
And a ^[be](EH)false scale is not good.
^24 (EI)A man’s steps are ordained by the Lord;
How then can a person understand his way?
²⁵ It is a trap for a person to say carelessly, “It is holy!”
And ^(EJ)after the vows to make inquiry.
²⁶ A ^(EK)wise king scatters the wicked,
And ^[bf]drives a ^(EL)threshing wheel over them.
²⁷ The ^[bg](EM)spirit of a person is the lamp of the Lord,
Searching all the ^[bh]innermost parts of his being.
^28 [bi]Loyalty and ^(EN)truth watch over the king,
And he upholds his throne by ^[bj]loyalty.
²⁹ The glory of young men is their strength,
And the ^[bk](EO)honor of old men is their gray hair.
^30 (EP)Bruising wounds clean away evil,
And blows cleanse the ^[bl]innermost parts.

21 The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord;
He ^(EQ)turns it wherever He pleases.
^2 (ER)Every person’s way is right in his own eyes,
But the Lord ^(ES)examines the hearts.
³ To do ^(ET)righteousness and justice
Is preferred by the Lord more than sacrifice.
⁴ Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
The ^(EU)lamp of the wicked, is sin.
⁵ The plans of the ^(EV)diligent certainly lead to advantage,
But everyone ^(EW)who is in a hurry certainly comes to poverty.
⁶ The ^(EX)acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue
Is a fleeting vapor, the ^[bm]pursuit of ^(EY)death.
⁷ The violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
Because they ^(EZ)refuse to act with justice.
⁸ The way of a guilty person is ^(FA)crooked,
But as for the pure, his conduct is upright.
⁹ It is better to live on a corner of a roof
Than ^[bn]in a house shared with a contentious woman.
¹⁰ The soul of the wicked desires evil;
His ^(FB)neighbor is shown no compassion in his eyes.
¹¹ When the ^(FC)scoffer is punished, the naive becomes wise;
But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.
¹² The ^[bo]righteous one considers the house of the wicked,
Bringing the ^(FD)wicked to ruin.
¹³ One who ^(FE)shuts his ear to the outcry of the poor
Will also call out himself, and not be ^(FF)answered.
¹⁴ A ^(FG)gift in secret subdues anger,
And a bribe ^[bp]in an inside pocket, strong wrath.
¹⁵ The exercise of justice is joy for the righteous,
But ^(FH)terror to those who practice injustice.
¹⁶ A person who wanders from the way of understanding
Will ^(FI)rest in the assembly of the ^[bq]dead.
¹⁷ One who ^(FJ)loves pleasure will become a poor person;
One who loves wine and oil will not become rich.
¹⁸ The wicked is a ^(FK)ransom for the righteous,
And the ^(FL)treacherous is in the place of the upright.
^19 (FM)It is better to live in a desert land
Than with a contentious and irritating woman.
²⁰ There is precious ^(FN)treasure and oil in the home of the wise,
But a foolish person ^(FO)swallows it up.
²¹ One who ^(FP)pursues righteousness and loyalty
Finds life, righteousness, and honor.
²² A ^(FQ)wise person scales the city of the mighty
And brings down the ^[br]stronghold in which they trust.
²³ One who ^(FR)guards his mouth and his tongue,
Guards his soul from troubles.
²⁴ “Proud,” “Arrogant,” “^(FS)Scoffer,” are his names,
One who acts with ^(FT)insolent pride.
²⁵ The ^(FU)desire of the ^[bs]lazy one puts him to death,
For his hands refuse to work;
²⁶ All day long he ^[bt]is craving,
While the righteous ^(FV)gives and does not hold back.
²⁷ The ^(FW)sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination,
How much more when he brings it with evil intent!
²⁸ A ^(FX)false witness will perish,
But a person who listens will speak forever.
²⁹ A wicked person ^[bu](FY)displays a bold face,
But as for the ^(FZ)upright, he makes his way sure.
³⁰ There is ^(GA)no wisdom, no understanding,
And no ^[bv]plan against the Lord.
³¹ The ^(GB)horse is prepared for the day of battle,
But the ^(GC)victory belongs to the Lord.

22 A ^(GD)good name is to be more desired than great wealth;
Favor is better than silver and gold.
² The rich and the poor ^[bw]have a common bond,
The Lord is the ^(GE)Maker of them all.
³ A ^(GF)prudent person sees evil and hides himself,
But the naive proceed, and pay the penalty.
⁴ The reward of humility and ^[bx]the fear of the Lord
Are riches, honor, and life.
^5 (GG)Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
One who guards himself will be far from them.
^6 (GH)Train up a child ^[by]in the way he should go,
Even when he grows older he will not abandon it.
⁷ The ^(GI)rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.
⁸ One who ^(GJ)sows injustice will reap disaster,
And the ^(GK)rod of his fury will perish.
⁹ One who ^[bz]is ^(GL)generous will be blessed,
Because he ^(GM)gives some of his food to the poor.
^10 (GN)Drive out the scoffer, and strife will leave,
Even quarreling and dishonor will cease.
¹¹ One who loves ^(GO)purity of heart
And ^[ca]whose speech is ^(GP)gracious, the king is his friend.
¹² The eyes of the Lord protect knowledge,
But He overthrows the words of the treacherous person.
¹³ The ^[cb](GQ)lazy one says, “There is a lion outside;
I will be killed in the streets!”
¹⁴ The mouth of ^[cc](GR)an adulteress is a deep pit;
He who is ^(GS)cursed of the Lord will fall ^[cd]into it.
¹⁵ Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
The ^(GT)rod of discipline will remove it far from him.
¹⁶ One ^(GU)who oppresses the poor to make ^[ce]more for himself,
Or gives to the rich, ^(GV)will only come to poverty.