BibleHearthProverbs 17 (NASB2020)
Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked
1Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it
Than a house full of 17:1 Lit sacrifices of strifefeasting with strife.
2A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully,
And will share in the inheritance among brothers.
3The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But the Lord tests hearts.
4An evildoer listens to wicked lips;
A 17:4 Lit falsehoodliar pays attention to a destructive tongue.
5One who mocks the poor taunts his Maker;
One who rejoices at disaster will not go unpunished.
6Grandchildren are the crown of the old,
And the glory of sons is their fathers.
7 17:7 Lit A lip of abundanceExcellent speech is not fitting for a fool,
Much less are lying lips to a prince.
8A bribe is a 17:8 Lit stone of favorcharm in the sight of its owner;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.
9One who conceals an offense seeks love,
But one who repeats a matter separates close friends.
10A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding
Than a hundred blows into a fool.
11A rebellious person seeks only evil,
So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12Let a person meet a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his foolishness.
13One who returns evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.
14The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.
15One who justifies the wicked and one who condemns the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
16Why is there money in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,
When 17:16 Lit there is no hearthe has no sense?
17A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
18A person lacking in 17:18 Lit heartsense shakes hands
And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.
19One who loves wrongdoing loves strife;
One who makes his doorway high seeks destruction.
20One who has a crooked 17:20 Lit heartmind finds nothing good,
And one who is 17:20 Lit altered in his tonguecorrupted in his language falls into evil.
21He who fathers a fool does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.
22A joyful heart 17:22 Lit causes good healingis good medicine,
But a broken spirit dries up the bones.
23A wicked person accepts a bribe 17:23 Lit a fold in a robe; i.e., secretlyfrom an inside pocket
To pervert the ways of justice.
24Wisdom is in the presence of one who has understanding,
But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25A foolish son is a grief to his father,
And bitterness to her who gave birth to him.
26It is also not good to fine the righteous,
Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
27One who withholds his words 17:27 Lit knowshas knowledge,
And one who has a cool spirit is a person of understanding.
28Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise;
When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.
Understand Proverbs 17
A verse-by-verse study of Proverbs 17: what the chapter is doing, and what three commentaries say about it. Written to be readable if this is new to you.
Read the Proverbs 17 commentary