Proverbs Chapter 17

¹ A dry morsel eaten in peace tastes better

than a feast in a house full of conflict.

                  ²A wise servant will rule a shameful son

            and share in the inheritance among brothers.

³ Fire refines silver and a furnace purifies gold,

but the LORD assays the heart.

                  ⁴Wrongdoers pay attention to gossip;

            liars latch onto slander.

⁵ People that mock the poor insult their Maker;

those who rejoice over their misfortune will get their just due.

                  ⁶Grandchildren are the crown of old age;

            parents are the pride of their children.                       

Prov 17:1-6

⁷ Fine speech doesn’t fit with being a fool;

much less is lying appropriate for leaders.

                  ⁸A bribe is a lucky charm in its owner’s sight;

            whoever uses it prospers!

⁹ Forgiving fosters love,

but dwelling on faults alienates friends.

                  ¹⁰A rebuke penetrates deeper into thoughtful people

            than 100 blows affect a fool.

¹¹ Rebellious people are looking for trouble;

so a cruel messenger will confront them.

                  ¹²Facing a bear robbed of her cubs

            is safer than confronting a fool for his folly.             

Prov 17:7-12

¹³ Misfortune never leaves the house of anyone

that repays a good deed with a bad one.

                  ¹⁴Starting an argument is like opening a floodgate;

            so stop a quarrel before it starts.

¹⁵ Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent

are equally detestable to the LORD.

                  ¹⁶Why spend money on educating fools

            when they don’t care about learning?

¹⁷ A friend loves despite the circumstance;

adversity forges friendship.

                  ¹⁸It’s not good judgment

            to guarantee another person’s debt.                           

Prov 17:13-18

¹⁹ Loving sin amounts to loving conflict;

trusting in tall walls invites invasion.

                  ²⁰A crooked heart doesn’t prosper;

            a lying tongue calls for retaliation.

²¹ The parents of a fool feel discouraged;

there’s no joy in life for the father of a fool.

                  ²²A happy heart is good medicine;

            a broken spirit weakens health.

²³ Sinners accept secret bribes

to pervert the course of justice.

                  ²⁴Sensible people find wisdom nearby;

            fools think they’ll find it far away.                            

Prov 17:19-24

²⁵ Foolish children are a grief to their father

and bring bitterness to the one that gave them birth.

                  ²⁶It’s wrong to punish the godly for their godliness

            or flog noble people for being noble.

²⁷ Wise people speak with restraint;

cool heads display better insight.

                  ²⁸Even fools, people consider wise

                  as long as they keep their mouth shut;

            people suppose fools are smart when they close their lips.