Proverbs 17
New American Standard Bible
Contrast of 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 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.
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 17:20 Lit heart
- Proverbs 17:20 Lit altered in his tongue
- Proverbs 17:22 Lit causes good healing
- Proverbs 17:23 Lit a fold in a robe; i.e., secretly
- Proverbs 17:27 Lit knows
Proverbs 17
International Standard Version
More Words of Wisdom
2 A prudent servant will rule in place of a disgraceful son
and will share in the inheritance among brothers.
3 The crucible is for silver
and the furnace for gold—
but the Lord assays hearts.
4 Whoever practices evil pays attention to wicked speech,
and the liar listens to malicious talk.
5 Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their maker,
and whoever is happy about disaster
will not go unpunished.
6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
and the pride of children is their parents.
7 Appropriate speech is inconsistent with the fool;
how much more are deceitful statements[c] with a prince!
8 A bribe works wonders[d] in the eyes of its giver;
wherever he turns he prospers.
9 Anyone who overlooks[e] an offense promotes love,
but someone who gossips separates close friends.
10 A rebuke is more effective with a man of understanding
than a hundred lashes to a fool.
11 A rebellious person seeks evil;
a cruel emissary will be sent to oppose him.
12 It’s better to meet a mother bear who has lost her cubs
than a fool in his stupidity.
13 The person who repays good with evil
will never see[f] evil leave his home.
14 Starting a quarrel is like spilling water—
so drop the dispute before it escalates.
15 Exonerating the wicked and condemning the righteous
are both detestable to the Lord.
16 What is this? A fool has enough money to buy wisdom,
but is senseless?[g]
17 A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is there[h] for times of trouble.
19 The person who loves transgression loves strife;
the person who builds a high gate invites destruction.
20 The person whose mind[k] is perverse does not find good,
and anyone with perverted speech falls into trouble.
21 The man who fathers a fool does so to his sorrow—
the father of a fool has no joy.
22 A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit drains one’s strength.[l]
23 The wicked man takes a bribe in secret
in order to pervert the course of justice.
24 A person with understanding has wisdom as his objective,
but a fool looks only[m] to earthly goals.
25 A foolish son brings grief to his father
and bitterness to his mother.[n]
26 Furthermore, it isn’t good to fine the righteous,
or to beat an official because of his uprightness.
27 Whoever controls what he says is knowledgeable;
anyone who has a calm spirit is a man of understanding.
28 Even a fool is thought to be wise when he remains silent;
he is thought to be prudent when he keeps his mouth shut.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 17:1 Lit. quiet
- Proverbs 17:1 Lit. house full of meat
- Proverbs 17:7 Lit. lips
- Proverbs 17:8 Lit. A gift is a stone of favor
- Proverbs 17:9 Lit. covers
- Proverbs 17:13 The Heb. lacks will see
- Proverbs 17:16 Lit. but has no heart
- Proverbs 17:17 Lit. born
- Proverbs 17:18 Lit. heart
- Proverbs 17:18 Lit. sense strikes the palm
- Proverbs 17:20 Lit. heart
- Proverbs 17:22 Lit. spirit dries the bones
- Proverbs 17:24 The Heb. lacks only
- Proverbs 17:25 Lit. to the one who bore him
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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