Proverbs 17:1-28 NIV

Proverbs 17:1-28 NIV [1] Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife. [2] A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son and will share the inheritance as one of the family. [3] The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart. [4] A wicked person listens to deceitful lips; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue. [5] Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished. [6] Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. [7] Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool—how much worse lying lips to a ruler! [8] A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; they think success will come at every turn. [9] Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. [10] A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool. [11] Evildoers foster rebellion against God; the messenger of death will be sent against them. [12] Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly. [13] Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good. [14] Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out. [15] Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—the LORD detests them both. [16] Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom, when they are not able to understand it? [17] A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. [18] One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge and puts up security for a neighbor. [19] Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin; whoever builds a high gate invites destruction. [20] One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble. [21] To have a fool for a child brings grief; there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool. [22] A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. [23] The wicked accept bribes in secret to pervert the course of justice. [24] A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth. [25] A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the mother who bore him. [26] If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good, surely to flog honest officials is not right. [27] The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. [28] Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.

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