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Proverbs 17

Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked

1Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it

Than a house full of feasting with strife.

2A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully,

And will share in the inheritance among brothers.

3The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,

But the Lord tests hearts.

4An evildoer listens to wicked lips;

A liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

5One who mocks the poor taunts his Maker;

One who rejoices at disaster will not go unpunished.

6Grandchildren are the crown of the old,

And the glory of sons is their fathers.

7Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool,

Much less are lying lips to a prince.

8A bribe is a charm in the sight of its owner;

Wherever he turns, he prospers.

9One who conceals an offense seeks love,

But one who repeats a matter separates close friends.

10A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding

Than a hundred blows into a fool.

11A rebellious person seeks only evil,

So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

12Let a person meet a bear robbed of her cubs,

Rather than a fool in his foolishness.

13One who returns evil for good,

Evil will not depart from his house.

14The beginning of strife is like letting out water,

So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.

15One who justifies the wicked and one who condemns the righteous,

Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.

16Why is there money in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,

When he has no sense?

17A friend loves at all times,

And a brother is born for adversity.

18A person lacking in sense shakes hands

And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.

19One who loves wrongdoing loves strife;

One who makes his doorway high seeks destruction.

20One who has a crooked mind finds nothing good,

And one who is corrupted in his language falls into evil.

21He who fathers a fool does so to his sorrow,

And the father of a fool has no joy.

22A joyful heart is good medicine,

But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

23A wicked person accepts a bribe from an inside pocket

To pervert the ways of justice.

24Wisdom is in the presence of one who has understanding,

But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

25A foolish son is a grief to his father,

And bitterness to her who gave birth to him.

26It is also not good to fine the righteous,

Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.

27One who withholds his words has knowledge,

And one who has a cool spirit is a person of understanding.

28Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise;

When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.

Proverbs

Chapter 17

17 of 31