Proverbs 17
Better a Dry Morsel in Quietness
¹ Better a dry morsel in quietness than a house full of feasting 1 with strife.
² A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share his inheritance as one of the brothers.
³ A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but the LORD is the tester of hearts.
⁴ A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.
⁵ He who mocks the poor insults their Maker; whoever gloats over calamity will not go unpunished.
⁶ Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of a son is his father.
⁷ Eloquent words are unfit for a fool; how much worse are lying lips to a ruler!
⁸ A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds.
⁹ Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends.
¹⁰ A rebuke cuts into a man of discernment deeper than a hundred lashes cut into a fool.
¹¹ An evil man seeks only rebellion; a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
¹² It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.
¹³ If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never leave his house.
¹⁴ To start a quarrel is to release a flood; so abandon the dispute before it breaks out.
¹⁵ Acquitting the guilty and condemning the righteous— both are detestable to the LORD.
¹⁶ Why should the fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom?
¹⁷ A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
¹⁸ A man lacking judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor.
¹⁹ He who loves transgression loves strife; he who builds his gate high invites destruction.
²⁰ The one with a perverse heart finds no good, and he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.
²¹ A man fathers a fool to his own grief; the father of a fool has no joy.
²² A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.
²³ A wicked man takes a covert bribe 2 to subvert the course of justice.
²⁴ Wisdom is the focus of the discerning, but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends of the earth.
²⁵ A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.
²⁶ It is surely not good to punish the innocent or to flog a noble for his honesty.
²⁷ A man of knowledge restrains his words, and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit.
²⁸ Even a fool is considered wise if he keeps silent, and discerning when he holds his tongue.