READ · REFLECT · RESPOND
Second Edition · Explore Scripture, one passage at a time.
17:1 Better is a dry crust of bread where there is quietness than a house full of feasting with strife. 17:2 A servant who acts wisely will rule over an heir who behaves shamefully and will share the inheritance along with the relatives. 17:3 The crucible is for refining silver and the furnace is for gold; likewise the Lord tests hearts. 17:4 One who acts wickedly pays attention to evil counsel; a liar listens to a malicious tongue. 17:5 The one who mocks the poor has insulted his Creator; whoever rejoices over disaster will not go unpunished. 17:6 Grandchildren are like a crown to the elderly, and the glory of children is their parents. 17:7 Excessive speech is not becoming for a fool; how much less are lies for a ruler! 17:8 A bribe works like a charm for the one who offers it; in whatever he does he succeeds. 17:9 The one who forgives an offense seeks love, but whoever repeats a matter separates close friends. 17:10 A rebuke makes a greater impression on a discerning person than a hundred blows on a fool. 17:11 An evil person seeks only rebellion, and so a cruel messenger will be sent against him. 17:12 It is better for a person to meet a mother bear being robbed of her cubs than to encounter a fool in his folly. 17:13 As for the one who repays evil for good, evil will not leave his house. 17:14 Starting a quarrel is like letting out water; abandon strife before it breaks out! 17:15 The one who acquits the guilty and the one who condemns the innocent — both of them are an abomination to the Lord. 17:16 What’s the point of a fool having money in hand to buy wisdom when his head is empty? 17:17 A friend loves at all times, and a relative is born to help in adversity. 17:18 The one who lacks sense strikes hands in pledge and puts up financial security for his neighbor. 17:19 The one who loves a quarrel loves transgression; whoever builds his gate high seeks destruction. 17:20 The one who has a perverse heart does not find good, and the one who is deceitful in speech falls into trouble. 17:21 Whoever brings a fool into the world does so to his grief, and the father of a fool has no joy. 17:22 A cheerful heart brings good healing, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. 17:23 A wicked person receives a bribe secretly to pervert the ways of justice. 17:24 Wisdom is directly in front of the discerning person, but the eyes of a fool run to the ends of the earth. 17:25 A foolish child is a grief to his father and bitterness to the mother who bore him. 17:26 It is terrible to punish a righteous person, and to flog honorable men is wrong. 17:27 The truly wise person restrains his words, and the one who stays calm is discerning. 17:28 Even a fool who remains silent is considered wise, and the one who holds his tongue is deemed discerning.
NET Bible Second Edition. Copyright 2017 Biblical Studies Press
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