Proverbs 17-19
Revised Standard Version
17 Better is a dry morsel with quiet
than a house full of feasting with strife.
2 A slave who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully,
and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.
3 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
and the Lord tries hearts.
4 An evildoer listens to wicked lips;
and a liar gives heed to a mischievous tongue.
5 He who mocks the poor insults his Maker;
he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
and the glory of sons is their fathers.
7 Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;
still less is false speech to a prince.
8 A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of him who gives it;
wherever he turns he prospers.
9 He who forgives an offense seeks love,
but he who repeats a matter alienates a friend.
10 A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding
than a hundred blows into a fool.
11 An evil man seeks only rebellion,
and a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs,
rather than a fool in his folly.
13 If a man returns evil for good,
evil will not depart from his house.
14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water;
so quit before the quarrel breaks out.
15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous
are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
16 Why should a fool have a price in his hand to buy wisdom,
when he has no mind?
17 A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
18 A man without sense gives a pledge,
and becomes surety in the presence of his neighbor.
19 He who loves transgression loves strife;
he who makes his door high seeks destruction.
20 A man of crooked mind does not prosper,
and one with a perverse tongue falls into calamity.
21 A stupid son is a grief to a father;
and the father of a fool has no joy.
22 A cheerful heart is a good medicine,
but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.
23 A wicked man accepts a bribe from the bosom
to pervert the ways of justice.
24 A man of understanding sets his face toward wisdom,
but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son is a grief to his father
and bitterness to her who bore him.
26 To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good;
to flog noble men is wrong.
27 He who restrains his words has knowledge,
and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
28 Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;
when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
18 He who is estranged[a] seeks pretexts[b]
to break out against all sound judgment.
2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing his opinion.
3 When wickedness comes, contempt comes also;
and with dishonor comes disgrace.
4 The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
the fountain of wisdom is a gushing stream.
5 It is not good to be partial to a wicked man,
or to deprive a righteous man of justice.
6 A fool’s lips bring strife,
and his mouth invites a flogging.
7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin,
and his lips are a snare to himself.
8 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.
9 He who is slack in his work
is a brother to him who destroys.
10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
11 A rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
and like a high wall protecting him.[c]
12 Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty,
but humility goes before honor.
13 If one gives answer before he hears,
it is his folly and shame.
14 A man’s 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 man’s gift makes room for him
and brings him before great men.
17 He who states his case first seems right,
until the other comes and examines him.
18 The lot puts an end to disputes
and decides between powerful contenders.
19 A brother helped is like a strong city,[d]
but quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
20 From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied;
he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.
22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
and obtains favor from the Lord.
23 The poor use entreaties,
but the rich answer roughly.
24 There are[e] friends who pretend to be friends,[f]
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
19 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity
than a man who is perverse in speech, and is a fool.
2 It is not good for a man to be without knowledge,
and he who makes haste with his feet misses his way.
3 When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin,
his heart rages against the Lord.
4 Wealth brings many new friends,
but a poor man is deserted by his friend.
5 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who utters lies will not escape.
6 Many seek the favor of a generous man,
and every one is a friend to a man who gives gifts.
7 All a poor man’s brothers hate him;
how much more do his friends go far from him!
He pursues them with words, but does not have them.[g]
8 He who gets wisdom loves himself;
he who keeps understanding will prosper.
9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who utters lies will perish.
10 It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury,
much less for a slave to rule over princes.
11 Good sense makes a man slow to anger,
and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
12 A king’s wrath is like the growling of a lion,
but his favor is like dew upon the grass.
13 A foolish son is ruin to his father,
and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.
14 House and wealth are inherited from fathers,
but a prudent wife is from the Lord.
15 Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep,
and an idle person will suffer hunger.
16 He who keeps the commandment keeps his life;
he who despises the word[h] will die.
17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will repay him for his deed.
18 Discipline your son while there is hope;
do not set your heart on his destruction.
19 A man of great wrath will pay the penalty;
for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.[i]
20 Listen to advice and accept instruction,
that you may gain wisdom for the future.
21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established.
22 What is desired in a man is loyalty,
and a poor man is better than a liar.
23 The fear of the Lord leads to life;
and he who has it rests satisfied;
he will not be visited by harm.
24 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish,
and will not even bring it back to his mouth.
25 Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence;
reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.
26 He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother
is a son who causes shame and brings reproach.
27 Cease, my son, to hear instruction
only to stray from the words of knowledge.
28 A worthless witness mocks at justice,
and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
29 Condemnation is ready for scoffers,
and flogging for the backs of fools.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 18:1 Heb separated
- Proverbs 18:1 Gk Vg: Heb desire
- Proverbs 18:11 Or in his imagination
- Proverbs 18:19 Gk Syr Vg Tg: The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Proverbs 18:24 Syr Tg: Heb A man of
- Proverbs 18:24 Cn Compare Syr Vg Tg: Heb to be broken
- Proverbs 19:7 Heb uncertain
- Proverbs 19:16 Cn Compare 13.13: Heb his ways
- Proverbs 19:19 Heb obscure
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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