Proverbs 17
New Living Translation
17 Better a dry crust eaten in peace
than a house filled with feasting—and conflict.
2 A wise servant will rule over the master’s disgraceful son
and will share the inheritance of the master’s children.
3 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold,
but the Lord tests the heart.
4 Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip;
liars pay close attention to slander.
5 Those who mock the poor insult their Maker;
those who rejoice at the misfortune of others will be punished.
6 Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged;
parents[a] are the pride of their children.
7 Eloquent words are not fitting for a fool;
even less are lies fitting for a ruler.
8 A bribe is like a lucky charm;
whoever gives one will prosper!
9 Love prospers when a fault is forgiven,
but dwelling on it separates close friends.
10 A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding
than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool.
11 Evil people are eager for rebellion,
but they will be severely punished.
12 It is safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than to confront a fool caught in foolishness.
13 If you repay good with evil,
evil will never leave your house.
14 Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate,
so stop before a dispute breaks out.
15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—
both are detestable to the Lord.
16 It is senseless to pay to educate a fool,
since he has no heart for learning.
17 A friend is always loyal,
and a brother is born to help in time of need.
18 It’s poor judgment to guarantee another person’s debt
or put up security for a friend.
19 Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin;
anyone who trusts in high walls invites disaster.
20 The crooked heart will not prosper;
the lying tongue tumbles into trouble.
21 It is painful to be the parent of a fool;
there is no joy for the father of a rebel.
22 A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.
23 The wicked take secret bribes
to pervert the course of justice.
24 Sensible people keep their eyes glued on wisdom,
but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
25 Foolish children[b] bring grief to their father
and bitterness to the one who gave them birth.
26 It is wrong to punish the godly for being good
or to flog leaders for being honest.
27 A truly wise person uses few words;
a person with understanding is even-tempered.
28 Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent;
with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.
Proverbs 17
Lexham English Bible
17 Better a dry morsel and quiet with it
than a house filled with feasts of strife.
2 A slave who deals wisely will rule over a child who acts shamefully,
and in the midst of brothers he will share his inheritance.
3 A crucible is for the silver, and a furnace is for the gold,
but Yahweh will test hearts.
4 He who does evil listens to lips of wickedness,
and the liar gives heed to the tongue of mischief.
5 He who mocks the poor insults him who made him;
he who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.
6 The crown of the elderly are grandchildren,[a]
and the glory of children is their fathers.
7 Fine speech[b] is not becoming a fool,
still less[c] is false speech[d] for a ruler.
8 The bribe is a stone of magic in the eyes of its owner;[e]
everywhere[f] he will turn, he will prosper.
9 He who forgives an affront fosters love,
but he who waits on a matter will alienate a friend.
10 A rebuke strikes him who understands
deeper than one hundred blows to a fool.
11 An evil person will seek only rebellion,
and a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 May a man meet a she-bear robbed of offspring
and not a fool in his folly.
13 For he who returns evil for good,
evil will not depart from his house.
14 Like the release of water is the beginning of strife;
before it breaks out, stop the quarrel.
15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous,
the two of them are both abominations of Yahweh.
16 Why is this? A price in the hand of a fool,
in order to buy wisdom where[g] there is no sense.[h]
17 The friend loves at all times[i],
but a brother is born for adversity.
18 A person who lacks sense[j] pledges;[k]
he becomes security before his neighbor.
19 He who loves transgression loves strife;
he who builds his high thresholds seeks destruction.
20 He who is crooked of heart[l] will not find goodness,
and he who is perverse, by his tongue he will fall into calamity.
21 He who begets a fool, there is trouble for him;
the father of a fool will not rejoice.
22 A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a downcast spirit will dry out bones.
23 The wicked will accept a bribe from the lap,
in order to pervert the ways of justice.
24 He who understands sets his face toward wisdom,
but the eyes of a fool, to the end of the earth.[m]
25 A grief to his father is the child of a fool,
and bitterness to her who bore him.
26 Also, imposing a fine on the righteous is not good,
nor to flog nobles for uprightness.
27 He who spares his sayings knows knowledge,
and a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
28 Even a fool who keeps silent shall be considered wise;[n]
he who closes his lips is intelligent.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 17:6 Literally “sons of sons”
- Proverbs 17:7 Literally “A lip of fineness”
- Proverbs 17:7 Literally “only for”
- Proverbs 17:7 Literally “lip of deceit”
- Proverbs 17:8 Or “master”
- Proverbs 17:8 Literally “to all which”
- Proverbs 17:16 Hebrew “and”
- Proverbs 17:16 Literally “heart”
- Proverbs 17:17 Hebrew “time”
- Proverbs 17:18 Literally “heart”
- Proverbs 17:18 Literally “pledges a hand”
- Proverbs 17:20 Or “mind”
- Proverbs 17:24 Or “land”
- Proverbs 17:28 Literally “wise, he shall be considered”
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