Proverbs 17:1-20

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

17 Better is a dry morsel with quiet
    than a house full of feasting with strife.^(A)
2 A slave who deals wisely will rule over a child who acts shamefully
    and will share the inheritance as one of the family.^(B)
3 The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold,
    but the Lord tests the heart.^(C)
4 An evildoer listens to wicked lips,
    and a liar gives heed to a mischievous tongue.
⁵ Those who mock the poor insult their Maker;
    those who are glad at calamity will not go unpunished.^(D)
6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
    and the glory of children is their parents.^(E)
7 Excess speech is not becoming to a fool;
    still less is false speech to a ruler.^[a]
8 A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of those who give it;
    wherever they turn they prosper.^(F)
9 One who forgives an affront fosters friendship,
    but one who dwells on disputes will alienate a friend.^(G)
10 A rebuke strikes deeper into a discerning person
    than a hundred blows into a fool.
¹¹ Evil people seek only rebellion,
    but a cruel messenger will be sent against them.
¹² Better to meet a she-bear robbed of its cubs
    than to confront a fool immersed in folly.^(H)
13 Evil will not depart from the house
    of one who returns evil for good.^(I)
14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
    so stop before the quarrel breaks out.^(J)
15 One who justifies the wicked and one who condemns the righteous
    are both alike an abomination to the Lord.^(K)
16 Why should fools have a price in hand
    to buy wisdom when they have no mind to learn?
¹⁷ A friend loves at all times,
    and kinsfolk are born to share adversity.^(L)
18 It is senseless to give a pledge,
    to become surety for a neighbor.^(M)
19 One who loves transgression loves strife;
    one who builds a high threshold invites broken bones.^(N)
20 The crooked of mind do not prosper,
    and the perverse of tongue fall into calamity.^(O)