17 Better a dry crust with peace
than a house full of feasting with strife.(A)
2 A wise 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 sons 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 man seeks only rebellion;
a cruel messenger[b](J) will be sent against him.
12 Better for a man 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 man 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 intelligent person restrains his words,(AB)
and one who keeps a cool head[e]
is a man of understanding.
28 Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent,
discerning when he seals his lips.(AC)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 17:4 Lit to lips of iniquity
- Proverbs 17:11 Or a merciless angel
- Proverbs 17:18 Lit sense shakes hands
- Proverbs 17:26 Or noble unfairly
- Proverbs 17:27 Lit spirit
Cross references
- 17:1 : Pr 15:17; 21:9, 19; 25:24
- 17:3 : Pr 27:21
- 17:3 : 1Ch 29:17; Ps 26:2; Pr 16:2; 21:2; Is 48:10; Jr 17:10; Mal 3:3
- 17:5 : Pr 14:31; 21:13
- 17:5 : Jb 31:29; Pr 24:17; Lm 1:21-22; Ezk 25:6-7; 35:15; Ob 12
- 17:8 : Ex 23:8; Is 1:23; Am 5:12
- 17:8 : Pr 18:16; 19:6; 21:14
- 17:9 : Pr 10:12; Jms 5:20; 1Pt 4:8
- 17:9 : Lv 19:16; Pr 11:13; 16:28
- 17:11 : Ps 78:49
- 17:12 : 2Sm 17:8; Hs 13:8
- 17:13 : Ps 35:12; 109:5
- 17:13 : 2Sm 12:10
- 17:14 : Pr 20:3; 25:8
- 17:15 : Ex 23:7; Pr 17:26; 18:5; 24:23-24; Is 5:23
- 17:16 : Pr 4:5, 7; 18:15; 23:23
- 17:17 : Ru 1:16; Pr 18:24; 27:10
- 17:18 : Pr 6:1-5; 11:15; 22:26
- 17:19 : Pr 29:22
- 17:20 : Jr 23:36
- 17:21 : Pr 10:1; 17:25; 19:13; 23:24-25
- 17:22 : Ps 22:15; Pr 14:30; 15:13; 18:14
- 17:23 : Pr 17:8
- 17:23 : Dt 16:19; Ps 15:5; Pr 18:5; Mc 3:11; 7:3
- 17:24 : Ec 2:14
- 17:25 : Pr 10:1; 17:21; 19:13
- 17:26 : Pr 17:15; 18:5; 24:23-24
- 17:27 : Pr 10:19; Jms 1:19; 3:2
- 17:28 : Jb 13:5; Pr 10:19