Proverbs 17-19
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)
21 The one who fathers a fool gets trouble;
the parent of a fool has no joy.(P)
22 A cheerful heart is a good medicine,
but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.(Q)
23 The wicked accept a concealed bribe
to pervert the ways of justice.(R)
24 The discerning person looks to wisdom,
but the eyes of a fool to the ends of the earth.(S)
25 Foolish children are a grief to their father
and bitterness to her who bore them.(T)
26 To impose a fine on the innocent is not right
or to flog the noble for their integrity.(U)
27 One who spares words is knowledgeable;
one who is cool in spirit has understanding.(V)
28 Even fools who keep silent are considered wise;
when they close their lips, they are deemed intelligent.(W)
18 The one who lives alone is self-indulgent,
showing contempt for all sound judgment.[b]
2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing personal opinion.(X)
3 When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,
and with dishonor comes disgrace.
4 The words of the mouth are deep waters;
the fountain of wisdom is a gushing stream.(Y)
5 It is not right to be partial to the guilty
or to subvert the innocent in judgment.(Z)
6 A fool’s lips bring strife,
and a fool’s mouth invites a flogging.
7 The mouths of fools are their ruin,
and their lips a snare to themselves.(AA)
8 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.(AB)
9 One who is slack in work
is close kin to a vandal.(AC)
10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous run into it and are safe.(AD)
11 The wealth of the rich is their strong city;
in their imagination it is like a high wall.(AE)
12 Before destruction one’s heart is haughty,
but humility goes before honor.(AF)
13 If one gives answer before hearing,
it is folly and shame.(AG)
14 The human spirit will endure sickness,
but a broken spirit—who can bear?
15 An intelligent mind acquires knowledge,
and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16 A gift opens doors;
it gives access to the great.(AH)
17 The one who first states a case seems right,
until the other comes and cross-examines.
18 Casting the lot puts an end to disputes
and decides between powerful contenders.(AI)
19 An ally offended is stronger than a city;[c]
such quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
20 From the fruit of the mouth one’s stomach is satisfied;
the yield of the lips brings satisfaction.(AJ)
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.(AK)
22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing
and obtains favor from the Lord.(AL)
23 The poor use entreaties,
but the rich answer roughly.(AM)
24 Some[d] friends play at friendship,[e]
but a true friend sticks closer than one’s sibling.(AN)
19 Better the poor walking in integrity
than one perverse of speech who is a fool.(AO)
2 Desire without knowledge is not good,
and one who moves too hurriedly misses the way.
3 One’s own folly leads to ruin,
yet the heart rages against the Lord.(AP)
4 Wealth brings many friends,
but the poor are left friendless.(AQ)
5 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and a liar will not escape.(AR)
6 Many seek the favor of the generous,
and everyone is a friend to a giver of gifts.(AS)
7 If the poor are hated even by their kin,
how much more are they shunned by their friends!
When they call after them, they are not there.[f](AT)
8 To get wisdom is to love oneself;
to keep understanding is to prosper.(AU)
9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and the liar will perish.
10 It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury,
much less for a slave to rule over princes.(AV)
11 Those with good sense are slow to anger,
and it is their glory to overlook an offense.(AW)
12 A king’s anger is like the growling of a lion,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.(AX)
13 A stupid child is ruin to a father,
and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.(AY)
14 House and wealth are inherited from parents,
but a prudent wife is from the Lord.(AZ)
15 Laziness brings on deep sleep;
an idle person will suffer hunger.(BA)
16 Those who keep the commandment will live;
those who are heedless of their ways will die.(BB)
17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord
and will be repaid in full.(BC)
18 Discipline your children while there is hope;
do not set your heart on their destruction.(BD)
19 A violent-tempered person will pay the penalty;
if you effect a rescue, you will only have to do it again.[g]
20 Listen to advice and accept instruction,
that you may gain wisdom for the future.(BE)
21 The human mind may devise many plans,
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established.(BF)
22 What is desirable in a person is loyalty,
and it is better to be poor than a liar.
23 The fear of the Lord is life indeed;
filled with it one rests secure
and suffers no harm.(BG)
24 The lazy person buries a hand in the dish
and will not even bring it back to the mouth.(BH)
25 Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence;
reprove the intelligent, and they will gain knowledge.(BI)
26 Those who do violence to their father and chase away their mother
are children who cause shame and bring reproach.
27 My child, stop ignoring instruction,
straying[h] from words of knowledge.
28 A worthless witness mocks at justice,
and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.(BJ)
29 Punishments are prepared for scoffers
and flogging for the backs of fools.(BK)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.