Proverbs 17

17It is better to eat a dry crust of bread in peace

than to have a feast where there is quarreling.

²A wise servant will rule over the master’s disgraceful child

and will even inherit a share of what the master leaves his children.

³A hot furnace tests silver and gold,

but the Lord tests hearts.

⁴Evil people listen to evil words.

Liars pay attention to cruel words.

⁵Whoever mistreats the poor insults their Maker;

whoever enjoys someone’s trouble will be punished.

⁶Old people are proud of their grandchildren,

and children are proud of their parents.

⁷Fools should not be proud,

and rulers should not be liars.

⁸Some people think they can pay others to do anything they ask.

They think it will work every time.

⁹Whoever forgives someone’s sin makes a friend,

but gossiping about the sin breaks up friendships.

¹⁰A wise person will learn more from a warning

than a fool will learn from a hundred lashings.

¹¹Disobedient people look only for trouble,

so a cruel messenger will be sent against them.

¹²It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs

than to meet a fool doing foolish things.

¹³Whoever gives evil in return for good

will always have trouble at home.

¹⁴Starting a quarrel is like a leak in a dam,

so stop it before a fight breaks out.

¹⁵The Lord hates both of these things:

freeing the guilty and punishing the innocent.

¹⁶It won’t do a fool any good to try to buy wisdom,

because he doesn’t have the ability to be wise.

¹⁷A friend loves you all the time,

and a brother helps in time of trouble.

¹⁸It is not wise to promise

to pay what your neighbor owes.

¹⁹Whoever loves to argue loves to sin.

Whoever brags a lot is asking for trouble.

²⁰A person with an evil heart will find no success,

and the person whose words are evil will get into trouble.

²¹It is sad to have a foolish child;

there is no joy in being the parent of a fool.

²²A happy heart is like good medicine,

but a broken spirit drains your strength.

²³When the wicked accept money to do wrong

there can be no justice.

²⁴The person with understanding is always looking for wisdom,

but the mind of a fool wanders everywhere.

²⁵Foolish children make their father sad

and cause their mother great sorrow.

²⁶It is not good to punish the innocent

or to beat leaders for being honest.

²⁷The wise say very little,

and those with understanding stay calm.

²⁸Even fools seem to be wise if they keep quiet;

if they don’t speak, they appear to understand.