Proverbs 17
[1] Better is a dry morsel with quiet
than a house full of feasting with strife.
[2] A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully
and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.
[3] The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
and the LORD tests hearts.
[4] An evildoer listens to wicked lips,
and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.
[5] Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker;
he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
[6] Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
and the glory of children is their fathers.
[7] Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;
still less is false speech to a prince.
[8] A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it;
wherever he turns he prospers.
[9] Whoever covers an offense seeks love,
but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.
[10] A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding
than a hundred blows into a fool.
[11] An evil man seeks only rebellion,
and a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
[12] Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs
rather than a fool in his folly.
[13] If anyone returns evil for good,
evil will not depart from his house.
[14] The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
so quit before the quarrel breaks out.
[15] He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous
are both alike an abomination to the LORD.
[16] Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom
when he has no sense?
[17] A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
[18] One who lacks sense gives a pledge
and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.
[19] Whoever loves transgression loves strife;
he who makes his door high seeks destruction.
[20] A man of crooked heart does not discover good,
and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.
[21] He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow,
and the father of a fool has no joy.
[22] A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
[23] The wicked accepts a bribe in secret
to pervert the ways of justice.
[24] The discerning sets his face toward wisdom,
but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
[25] A foolish son is a grief to his father
and bitterness to her who bore him.
[26] To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good,
nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
[27] Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,
and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
[28] Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;
when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. (ESV)
