#proverbs 17

Better a Dry Morsel in Quietness

1 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.

2 A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son and will share the inheritance as one of the family.

3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.

4 A wicked person listens to deceitful lips; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

5 Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.

6 Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.

7 Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool— how much worse lying lips to a ruler!

8 A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; they think success will come at every turn.

9 Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

10 A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool.

11 Evildoers foster rebellion against God; the messenger of death will be sent against them.

12 Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly.

13 Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good.

14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent— the Lord detests them both.

16 Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom, when they are not able to understand it?

17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

18 One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge and puts up security for a neighbor.

19 Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin; whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.

20 One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.

21 To have a fool for a child brings grief; there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.

22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

23 The wicked accept bribes in secret to pervert the course of justice.

24 A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.

25 A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the mother who bore him.

26 If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good, surely to flog honest officials is not right.

27 The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.

1 Better is a dry morsel with quietness    than a house full of sacrifices with strife.

2 A wise servant will have rule over a son who causes shame,    and will have part of the inheritance among the brothers.

3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,    but the Lord tries the hearts.

4 A wicked doer gives heed to false lips,    and a liar gives ear to a wayward tongue.

5 Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker,    and he who is glad at calamities will not be unpunished.

6 Grandchildren are the crown of old men,    and the glory of children are their fathers.

7 Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool,    much less lying lips to a prince.

8 A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him who has it;    wherever he turns, it prospers.

9 He who covers a transgression seeks love,    but he who repeats a matter separates friends.

10 A reproof enters deeper into a wise man    than a hundred stripes into a fool.

11 An evil man seeks only rebellion;    therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

12 Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs    rather than a fool in his folly.

13 Whoever rewards evil for good,    evil will not depart from his house.

14 The beginning of strife is as when one lets out water;    therefore abandon contention before a quarrel starts.

15 He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,    both of them are abomination to the Lord.

16 Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom,    seeing he has no heart for it?

17 A friend loves at all times,    and a brother is born for adversity.

18 A man void of understanding shakes hands,    and becomes a pledge in the presence of his friend.

19 He loves transgression who loves strife,    and he who exalts his gate seeks destruction.

20 He who has a deceitful heart finds no good,    and he who has a perverse tongue falls into mischief.

21 He who fathers a fool does it to his sorrow,    and the father of a fool has no joy.

22 A merry heart does good like a medicine,    but a broken spirit dries the bones.

23 A wicked man takes a bribe out of a hidden place    to pervert the ways of judgment.

24 Wisdom is before him who has understanding,    but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.

25 A foolish son is a grief to his father,    and bitterness to her who bore him.

26 Also to punish the just is not good,    nor to strike princes for their uprightness.

27 He who has knowledge spares his words,    and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.