Proverbs 17

Christian Standard Bible

17 Better a dry crust with peace
than a house full of feasting with strife.^(A)

² A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son
and share an inheritance among brothers.

³ A crucible for silver, and a smelter for gold,^(B)
and the Lord is the tester of hearts.^(C)

⁴ A wicked person listens to malicious talk;^[a]
a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

⁵ The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker,^(D)
and one who rejoices over calamity
will not go unpunished.^(E)

⁶ Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly,
and the pride of children is their fathers.

⁷ Eloquent words are not appropriate on a fool’s lips;
how much worse are lies for a ruler.

⁸ A bribe^(F) seems like a magic stone to its owner;
wherever he turns, he succeeds.^(G)

⁹ Whoever conceals an offense promotes love,^(H)
but whoever gossips about it separates friends.^(I)

¹⁰ A rebuke cuts into a perceptive person
more than a hundred lashes into a fool.

¹¹ An evil person desires only rebellion;
a cruel messenger^[b](J) will be sent against him.

¹² Better for a person to meet a bear robbed of her cubs^(K)
than a fool in his foolishness.

¹³ If anyone returns evil for good,^(L)
evil will never depart from his house.^(M)

¹⁴ To start a conflict is to release a flood;
stop the dispute before it breaks out.^(N)

¹⁵ Acquitting the guilty and condemning the just^(O)—
both are detestable to the Lord.

¹⁶ Why does a fool have money in his hand
with no intention of buying wisdom?^(P)

¹⁷ A friend loves at all times,^(Q)
and a brother is born for a difficult time.

¹⁸ One without sense enters an agreement^[c]
and puts up security for his friend.^(R)

¹⁹ One who loves to offend loves strife;^(S)
one who builds a high threshold invites injury.

²⁰ One with a twisted mind will not succeed,
and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin.^(T)

²¹ A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow;
the father of a fool has no joy.^(U)

²² A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit dries up the bones.^(V)

²³ A wicked person secretly takes a bribe^(W)
to subvert the course of justice.^(X)

²⁴ Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive,
but a fool’s eyes^(Y) roam to the ends of the earth.

²⁵ A foolish son is grief to his father
and bitterness to the one who bore him.^(Z)

²⁶ It is certainly not good to fine an innocent person
or to beat a noble for his honesty.^[d](AA)

²⁷ The one who has knowledge restrains his words,^(AB)
and one who keeps a cool head^[e]
is a person of understanding.

²⁸ Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent—
discerning, when he seals his lips.^(AC)