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17 Better to eat a dry crust of bread with peace of mind than have a banquet in a house full of trouble.

A shrewd servant will gain authority over a master's worthless son and receive a part of the inheritance.

Gold and silver are tested by fire, and a person's heart is tested by the Lord.

Evil people listen to evil ideas, and liars listen to lies.

If you make fun of poor people, you insult the God who made them. You will be punished if you take pleasure in someone's misfortune.

Grandparents are proud of their grandchildren, just as children are proud of their parents.

Respected people do not tell lies, and fools have nothing worthwhile to say.

Some people think a bribe works like magic; they believe it can do anything.

If you want people to like you, forgive them when they wrong you. Remembering wrongs can break up a friendship.

10 An intelligent person learns more from one rebuke than a fool learns from being beaten a hundred times.

11 Death will come like a cruel messenger to wicked people who are always stirring up trouble.

12 It is better to meet a mother bear robbed of her cubs than to meet some fool busy with a stupid project.

13 If you repay good with evil, you will never get evil out of your house.

14 The start of an argument is like the first break in a dam; stop it before it goes any further.

15 Condemning the innocent or letting the wicked go—both are hateful to the Lord.

16 It does a fool no good to spend money on an education, because he has no common sense.

17 (A)Friends always show their love. What are relatives for if not to share trouble?

18 Only someone with no sense would promise to be responsible for someone else's debts.

19 To like sin is to like making trouble. If you brag all the time,[a] you are asking for trouble.

20 Anyone who thinks and speaks evil can expect to find nothing good—only disaster.

21 There is nothing but sadness and sorrow for parents whose children do foolish things.

22 Being cheerful keeps you healthy. It is slow death to be gloomy all the time.

23 Corrupt judges accept secret bribes, and then justice is not done.

24 An intelligent person aims at wise action, but a fool starts off in many directions.

25 Foolish children bring grief to their fathers and bitter regrets to their mothers.

26 It is not right to make an innocent person pay a fine; justice is perverted when good people are punished.

27 Those who are sure of themselves do not talk all the time. People who stay calm have real insight. 28 (B)After all, even fools may be thought wise and intelligent if they stay quiet and keep their mouths shut.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 17:19 brag … time; or make a show of your wealth.

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

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

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,(B)
    but the Lord tests the heart.(C)

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

Whoever mocks the poor(D) shows contempt for their Maker;(E)
    whoever gloats over disaster(F) will not go unpunished.(G)

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

Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool—
    how much worse lying lips to a ruler!(I)

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

Whoever would foster love covers over an offense,(K)
    but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.(L)

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.(M)

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

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

15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent(Q)
    the Lord detests them both.(R)

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

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

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

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.(V)

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

23 The wicked accept bribes(Y) in secret
    to pervert the course of justice.(Z)

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

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

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

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

28 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
    and discerning if they hold their tongues.(AF)