Proverbs 17:19-28

Holman Christian Standard Bible

¹⁹ One who loves to offend loves strife;^(A)
one who builds a high threshold invites injury.

²⁰ One with a twisted mind will not succeed,
and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin.^(B)

²¹ A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow;
the father of a fool has no joy.^(C)

²² A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit dries up the bones.^(D)

²³ A wicked man secretly takes a bribe^(E)
to subvert the course of justice.^(F)

²⁴ Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive,
but a fool’s eyes^(G) roam to the ends of the earth.

²⁵ A foolish son is grief to his father
and bitterness to the one who bore him.^(H)

²⁶ It is certainly not good to fine an innocent person
or to beat a noble for his honesty.^[a](I)

²⁷ The intelligent person restrains his words,^(J)
and one who keeps a cool head^[b]
is a man of understanding.

²⁸ Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent,
discerning when he seals his lips.^(K)