Proverbs 17

CHAPTER 17

^1aBetter is a dry morsel and tranquility with it

Than a house full of ¹feasting with strife.

²A slave who acts insightfully will rule over a son who acts shamefully,

And will share in the inheritance among brothers.

³The ^arefining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,

But ^bYahweh tests hearts.

⁴An ^aevildoer gives heed to lips of wickedness;

¹A liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.

⁵He who mocks the ^apoor reproaches his Maker;

He who is ^bglad at disaster will not go unpunished.

^61aGrandchildren are the crown of old men,

And the ^bbeauty of sons is their fathers.

^7aExcellent lips are not fitting for a ¹wicked fool,

Even less are ^blying lips for a noble man.

⁸A ^abribe is a ¹charm in the eyes of its owner;

Wherever he turns, he prospers.

⁹He who ^acovers a transgression seeks love,

But he who repeats a matter ^bseparates close companions.

¹⁰A rebuke goes deeper into one who understands

Than a hundred blows into a fool.

¹¹A rebellious man seeks only evil,

So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

¹²Let a ^aman meet a ^bbear robbed of her cubs,

Rather than a fool in his folly.

¹³He who ^areturns evil for good,

^bEvil will not depart from his house.

¹⁴The beginning of strife is like letting out water,

So ^aabandon the dispute before it breaks out.

¹⁵He who ^ajustifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous,

Both of them alike are an abomination to Yahweh.

¹⁶Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to ^aacquire wisdom,

When ¹he has no heart of wisdom?

¹⁷A ^afriend loves at all times,

And a brother is born for adversity.

¹⁸A man lacking a heart of wisdom ^astrikes his ¹hands in pledge

And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.

¹⁹He who ^aloves transgression loves quarreling;

He who ^bmakes his doorway high seeks destruction.

²⁰He who has a crooked heart ^afinds no good,

And he who is ^bperverted in his tongue falls into evil.

²¹He who ^abegets a fool does so to his grief,

And the father of a wicked fool is not glad.

²²A ^aglad heart ¹is good medicine,

But a broken spirit ^bdries up the bones.

²³A wicked man receives a ^abribe from the bosom

To ^bthrust aside the paths of justice.

²⁴Wisdom is in the presence of the one who understands,

But the ^aeyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

²⁵A ^afoolish son is a vexation to his father

And ^bbitterness to her who gave birth to him.

²⁶It is also not good to ^apunish the righteous,

Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.

²⁷He who ^aholds back his words ¹has knowledge,

And he who has a ^bcool spirit is a man of discernment.

²⁸Even an ignorant fool, when he ^akeeps silent, is considered wise;

When he closes his lips, he is considered understanding.