Proverbs 17:9-11
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
9 Whoever overlooks an offense fosters friendship,
but whoever gossips about it separates friends.[a]
10 A single reprimand does more for a discerning person
than a hundred lashes for a fool.[b]
11 The wicked pursue only rebellion,
and a merciless messenger is sent against them.[c]
Footnotes
- 17:9 A paradox. One finds (love, friend) by concealing (an offense), one loses (a friend) by revealing (a secret). In 10:12 love also covers over a multitude of offenses.
- 17:10 A wonderful comment on the openness and sensitivity of the wise and the foolish. One type learns from a single word and for the other one hundred blows are not enough.
- 17:11 The irony is that such people will meet up with what they so energetically pursue—in the form of an unrelenting emissary sent to them.
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