Proverbs 17

¹It 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 his master’s disgraceful son.

And he will even inherit a share of what the master leaves his sons.

³A hot furnace tests silver and gold.

In the same way, the Lord tests a person’s heart.

⁴An evil person listens to evil words.

A liar pays attention to cruel words.

⁵If you make fun of the poor,

you insult God, who made them.

If you laugh at someone’s trouble,

you will be punished.

⁶Grandchildren are the reward of old people.

And children are proud of their parents.

⁷Foolish people should not be proud.

And rulers should not be liars!

⁸A person might think he can pay people and they will do anything he asks.

He thinks it will succeed every time.

⁹Whoever forgives someone’s sin makes a friend.

But the one who tells about the sin breaks up friendships.

¹⁰A wise man will learn more from a warning

than a foolish person will learn from 100 lashings.

¹¹A disobedient person is only looking for trouble.

So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

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

than to meet a foolish person doing foolish things.

¹³If a person gives evil in return for good,

his house will always be full of trouble.

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

So stop the quarrel before a fight breaks out.

¹⁵The Lord hates both these things:

letting guilty people go free and punishing those who are not guilty.

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

He doesn’t really want to be wise.

¹⁷A friend loves you all the time.

A brother is always there to help you.

¹⁸It is not wise to promise

to pay what your neighbor owes.

¹⁹Whoever loves to quarrel loves to sin.

Whoever is proud 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 son.

There is no joy in being the father of a fool.

²²A happy heart is like good medicine.

But a broken spirit drains your strength.

²³A wicked person secretly accepts money to do wrong.

Then there will be no fairness.

²⁴The person with understanding looks for wisdom.

But a foolish person lets his mind wander everywhere.

²⁵A foolish son makes his father sad.

And he causes his mother great sorrow.

²⁶It is not good to punish those who have done what is right.

Nor is it good to punish leaders for being honest.

²⁷The person who has knowledge says very little.

And a person with understanding stays calm.

²⁸Even a foolish person seems to be wise if he keeps quiet.

He appears to have understanding if he doesn’t speak.