Proverbs 17-18

New American Standard Bible

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.

18 One who separates himself seeks his own desire;
He ^[l](AM)quarrels against all sound wisdom.
² A fool does not delight in understanding,
But ^(AN)in revealing his own ^[m]mind.
³ When a wicked person comes, contempt also comes,
And with dishonor comes taunting.
⁴ The words of a person’s mouth are ^(AO)deep waters;
^[n]The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
⁵ To ^(AP)show partiality to the wicked is not good,
Nor to ^(AQ)suppress the righteous in judgment.
⁶ A fool’s lips ^[o]bring strife,
And his mouth invites ^(AR)beatings.
⁷ A ^(AS)fool’s mouth is his ruin,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.
⁸ The words of a gossiper are like dainty morsels,
And they go down into the ^[p]innermost parts of the body.
⁹ He also who is ^(AT)lax in his work
^(AU)Is a brother to him who destroys.
¹⁰ The ^(AV)name of the Lord is a ^(AW)strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and ^(AX)is ^[q]safe.
¹¹ A ^(AY)rich person’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own imagination.
^12 (AZ)Before destruction the heart of a person is haughty,
But ^(BA)humility goes before honor.
¹³ One who ^(BB)gives an answer before he hears,
It is foolishness and shame to him.
¹⁴ The ^(BC)spirit of a person can endure his sickness,
But as for a ^(BD)broken spirit, who can endure it?
¹⁵ The ^[r](BE)mind of the discerning acquires knowledge,
And the ^(BF)ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
¹⁶ A person’s ^(BG)gift makes room for him
And brings him before great people.
¹⁷ The first ^[s]to plead his case seems right,
Until ^[t]another comes and examines him.
¹⁸ The cast ^(BH)lot puts an end to quarrels,
And ^[u]decides between the mighty ones.
¹⁹ A brother who is offended is harder to be won than a strong city,
And quarrels are like the bars of a citadel.
²⁰ With the ^[v](BI)fruit of a person’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied;
^(BJ)He will be satisfied with the product of his lips.
^21 (BK)Death and life are in the ^[w]power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its ^(BL)fruit.
²² He who finds a ^(BM)wife finds a good thing
And ^(BN)obtains favor from the Lord.
²³ A ^(BO)poor person utters pleadings,
But a ^(BP)rich person ^(BQ)answers defiantly.
²⁴ A person of too many friends comes to ^[x]ruin,
But there is ^(BR)a friend who sticks closer than a brother.