Proverbs 17:11-27

New International Version

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.^(A)

¹³ Evil will never leave the house
    of one who pays back evil^(B) for good.^(C)

¹⁴ Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
    so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.^(D)

¹⁵ Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent^(E)—
    the Lord detests them both.^(F)

¹⁶ Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom,
    when they are not able to understand it?^(G)

¹⁷ A friend loves at all times,
    and a brother is born for a time of adversity.^(H)

¹⁸ One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge
    and puts up security for a neighbor.^(I)

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.^(J)

²² A cheerful heart is good medicine,
    but a crushed^(K) spirit dries up the bones.^(L)

²³ The wicked accept bribes^(M) in secret
    to pervert the course of justice.^(N)

²⁴ A discerning person keeps wisdom in view,
    but a fool’s eyes^(O) wander to the ends of the earth.

²⁵ A foolish son brings grief to his father
    and bitterness to the mother who bore him.^(P)

²⁶ If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good,^(Q)
    surely to flog honest officials is not right.

²⁷ The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,^(R)
    and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.^(S)