Proverbs 17-19

English Standard Version

17 ^(A)Better is a dry morsel with quiet
    than a house full of feasting^[a] with strife.
²A servant who deals wisely will rule over ^(B)a son who acts shamefully
    and ^(C)will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.
³^(D)The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
    ^(E)and the Lord tests hearts.
⁴An evildoer listens to wicked lips,
    and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.
⁵Whoever mocks the poor ^(F)insults his Maker;
    he who is ^(G)glad at calamity will not go ^(H)unpunished.
⁶^(I)Grandchildren are ^(J)the crown of the aged,
    and the glory of children is their fathers.
⁷Fine speech is not ^(K)becoming to a fool;
    still less is ^(L)false speech to a prince.
⁸^(M)A bribe is like a magic^[b] stone in the eyes of the one who gives it;
    wherever he turns he prospers.
⁹Whoever ^(N)covers an offense seeks love,
    but he who repeats a matter ^(O)separates close friends.
¹⁰A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding
    than a hundred blows into a fool.
¹¹An evil man seeks only rebellion,
    and ^(P)a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
¹²Let a man meet ^(Q)a she-bear robbed of her cubs
    ^(R)rather than a fool in his folly.
¹³If anyone ^(S)returns evil for good,
    ^(T)evil will not depart from his house.
¹⁴The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
    so ^(U)quit before the quarrel breaks out.
¹⁵He who ^(V)justifies the wicked and he who ^(W)condemns the righteous
    are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
¹⁶Why should a fool have money in his hand ^(X)to buy wisdom
    when he has no sense?
¹⁷^(Y)A friend loves at all times,
    and a brother is born for adversity.
¹⁸One who lacks sense gives a pledge
    and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.
¹⁹Whoever loves transgression loves strife;
    he who ^(Z)makes his door high seeks destruction.
²⁰^(AA)A man of crooked heart does not discover good,
    and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.
²¹He who ^(AB)sires a fool gets himself sorrow,
    and the father of a fool has no joy.
²²^(AC)A joyful heart is good medicine,
    but a crushed spirit ^(AD)dries up the bones.
²³The wicked accepts ^(AE)a bribe in secret^[c]
    to ^(AF)pervert the ways of justice.
²⁴^(AG)The discerning sets his face toward wisdom,
    but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
²⁵^(AH)A foolish son is a grief to his father
    ^(AI)and bitterness to ^(AJ)her who bore him.
²⁶^(AK)To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good,
    nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
²⁷Whoever ^(AL)restrains his words has knowledge,
    and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
²⁸Even a fool ^(AM)who keeps silent is considered wise;
    when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
18 Whoever ^(AN)isolates himself seeks his own desire;
    he breaks out against all sound judgment.
²A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
    but only ^(AO)in expressing his opinion.
³When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,
    and with dishonor comes disgrace.
⁴The words of a man's mouth are ^(AP)deep waters;
    the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
⁵It is not good to ^(AQ)be partial to^[d] the wicked
    or to ^(AR)deprive the righteous of justice.
⁶A fool's lips walk into a fight,
    and his mouth invites ^(AS)a beating.
⁷^(AT)A fool's mouth is his ruin,
    and his lips are a snare to his soul.
⁸^(AU)The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
    they go down into ^(AV)the inner parts of the body.
⁹Whoever is slack in his work
    is a ^(AW)brother to him who destroys.
¹⁰^(AX)The name of the Lord is ^(AY)a strong tower;
    the righteous man runs into it and ^(AZ)is safe.
¹¹^(BA)A rich man's wealth is his strong city,
    and like a high wall in his imagination.
¹²^(BB)Before destruction a man's heart is haughty,
    but ^(BC)humility comes before honor.
¹³If one gives an answer ^(BD)before he hears,
    it is his folly and shame.
¹⁴A man's spirit will endure sickness,
    but ^(BE)a crushed spirit who can bear?
¹⁵An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,
    and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
¹⁶A man's ^(BF)gift makes room for him
    and brings him before the great.
¹⁷The one who states his case first seems right,
    until the other comes and examines him.
¹⁸^(BG)The lot puts an end to quarrels
    and decides between powerful contenders.
¹⁹A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city,
    and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
²⁰^(BH)From the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach is satisfied;
    he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.
²¹^(BI)Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
    and those who love it will eat its fruits.
²²He who finds ^(BJ)a wife finds ^(BK)a good thing
    and ^(BL)obtains favor ^(BM)from the Lord.
²³The poor use entreaties,
    but ^(BN)the rich answer roughly.
²⁴A man of many companions may come to ruin,
    but ^(BO)there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
19 ^(BP)Better is a poor person who ^(BQ)walks in his integrity
    than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
²Desire^[e] without knowledge is not good,
    and whoever ^(BR)makes haste with his feet misses his way.
³When a man's folly ^(BS)brings his way to ruin,
    his heart ^(BT)rages against the Lord.
⁴^(BU)Wealth brings many new friends,
    ^(BV)but a poor man is deserted by his friend.
⁵^(BW)A false witness will not go unpunished,
    and he who ^(BX)breathes out lies will not escape.
⁶Many seek the favor of a generous man,^[f]
    and everyone is a friend to a man who gives ^(BY)gifts.
⁷^(BZ)All a poor man's brothers hate him;
    ^(CA)how much more do his friends go far from him!
He pursues them with words, but does not have them.^[g]
⁸^(CB)Whoever gets sense loves his own soul;
    he who keeps understanding will ^(CC)discover good.
⁹^(CD)A false witness will not go unpunished,
    and he who ^(CE)breathes out lies will perish.
¹⁰^(CF)It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury,
    much less for ^(CG)a slave to rule over princes.
¹¹^(CH)Good sense makes one slow to anger,
    and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
¹²A king's wrath is like ^(CI)the growling of a lion,
    but his ^(CJ)favor is like ^(CK)dew on the grass.
¹³^(CL)A foolish son is ruin to his father,
    and ^(CM)a wife's quarreling is ^(CN)a continual dripping of rain.
¹⁴^(CO)House and wealth are inherited from fathers,
    but a prudent wife is ^(CP)from the Lord.
¹⁵^(CQ)Slothfulness casts into ^(CR)a deep sleep,
    and ^(CS)an idle person will suffer hunger.
¹⁶Whoever ^(CT)keeps the commandment keeps his life;
    he who despises his ways will die.
¹⁷^(CU)Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
    and he ^(CV)will repay him for his ^(CW)deed.
¹⁸^(CX)Discipline your son, for there is hope;
    do not set your heart on ^(CY)putting him to death.
¹⁹A man of great wrath will pay the penalty,
    for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.
²⁰Listen to advice and accept instruction,
    that you may gain wisdom in ^(CZ)the future.
²¹^(DA)Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
    but ^(DB)it is the purpose of the Lord ^(DC)that will stand.
²²What is desired in a man is steadfast love,
    and a poor man is better than a liar.
²³The fear of the Lord ^(DD)leads to life,
    and whoever has it rests ^(DE)satisfied;
    he will ^(DF)not be visited by harm.
²⁴^(DG)The sluggard buries his hand in ^(DH)the dish
    and will not even bring it back to his mouth.
²⁵^(DI)Strike ^(DJ)a scoffer, and the simple will ^(DK)learn prudence;
    ^(DL)reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.
²⁶He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother
    is ^(DM)a son who brings shame and reproach.
²⁷Cease to hear instruction, my son,
    ^(DN)and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
²⁸A worthless witness mocks at justice,
    and the mouth of the wicked ^(DO)devours iniquity.
²⁹Condemnation is ready for ^(DP)scoffers,
    and ^(DQ)beating for the backs of fools.