Chapter 17

¹Better a dry crust with peace than a house full of feasting with strife.

²A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful child and share the inheritance among siblings.

³The crucible tests silver, and the furnace tests gold, but the Lord tests hearts.

⁴An evildoer heeds wicked lips; a liar listens to a destructive tongue.

⁵Whoever mocks the poor insults their Maker; whoever gloats over calamity will not go unpunished.

⁶Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their parents.

⁷Fine speech does not suit a fool, much less lying lips a noble person.

⁸A bribe seems a charm to its giver; wherever they turn, they prosper.

⁹Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but whoever repeats a matter separates close friends.

¹⁰A rebuke sinks deeper into the discerning than a hundred blows into a fool.

¹¹An evil person seeks only rebellion, so a cruel messenger will be sent against them.

¹²Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in their folly.

¹³Whoever repays evil for good, evil will not depart their house.

¹⁴Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; stop it before strife breaks out.

¹⁵Acquitting the guilty and condemning the righteous—both are detestable to the Lord.

¹⁶Why is wealth in a fool’s hand, when they lack the sense to gain wisdom?

¹⁷A friend loves at all times, and a sibling is born for adversity.

¹⁸A person lacking sense shakes hands, pledging surety before their neighbor.

¹⁹Whoever loves transgression loves strife; whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.

²⁰A perverse heart finds no good; a deceitful tongue falls into trouble.

²¹To have a fool for a child brings grief; no joy comes from a senseless parent.

²²A joyful heart promotes healing, but a broken spirit dries the bones.

²³A wicked person takes a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice.

²⁴Wisdom is before the discerning; a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.

²⁵A foolish child is a vexation to their parent, and bitterness to the one who bore them.

²⁶To punish the righteous is not good, nor to strike the noble for uprightness.

²⁷Whoever spares their words has knowledge; a cool spirit marks a person of understanding.

²⁸Even a fool, when silent, is deemed wise; one who seals their lips, discerning. Proverbs 18 The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 18 – VKJV