New King James Version  
Chapter 17
1Better is a dry morsel with quietness,
Than a house full of feasting with strife.
2A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame,
And will share an inheritance among the brothers.
3The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But the Lord tests the hearts.
4An evildoer gives heed to false lips;
A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue.
5He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker;
He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
6Children's children are the crown of old men,
And the glory of children is their father.
7Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool,
Much less lying lips to a prince.
8A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.
9He who covers a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter separates friends.
10Rebuke is more effective for a wise man
Than a hundred blows on a fool.
11An evil man seeks only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.
13Whoever rewards evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.
14The beginning of strife is like releasing water;
Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.
15He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
16Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom,
Since he has no heart for it?
17A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
18A man devoid of understanding shakes hands in a pledge,
And becomes surety for his friend.
19He who loves transgression loves strife,
And he who exalts his gate seeks destruction.
20He who has a deceitful heart finds no good,
And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil.
21He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.
22A merry heart does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones.
23A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back
To pervert the ways of justice.
24Wisdom is in the sight of him 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 bore him.
26Also, to punish the righteous is not good,
Nor to strike princes for their uprightness.
27He who has knowledge spares his words,
And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.
28Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace;
When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.
Chapter 18
1A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;
He rages against all wise judgment.
2A fool has no delight in understanding,
But in expressing his own heart.
3When the wicked comes, contempt comes also;
And with dishonor comes reproach.
4The words of a man's mouth are deep waters;
The wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook.
5It is not good to show partiality to the wicked,
Or to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
6A fool's lips enter into contention,
And his mouth calls for blows.
7A fool's mouth is his destruction,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.
8The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles,
And they go down into the inmost body.
9He who is slothful in his work
Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.
10The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous run to it and are safe.
11The rich man's wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own esteem.
12Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty,
And before honor is humility.
13He who answers a matter before he hears it,
It is folly and shame to him.
14The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness,
But who can bear a broken spirit?
15The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge,
And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16A man's gift makes room for him,
And brings him before great men.
17The first one to plead his cause seems right,
Until his neighbor comes and examines him.
18Casting lots causes contentions to cease,
And keeps the mighty apart.
19A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city,
And contentions are like the bars of a castle.
20A man's stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;
From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.
21Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.
22He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the Lord.
23The poor man uses entreaties,
But the rich answers roughly.
24A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Chapter 19
1Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than one who is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.
2Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge,
And he sins who hastens with his feet.
3The foolishness of a man twists his way,
And his heart frets against the Lord.
4Wealth makes many friends,
But the poor is separated from his friend.
5A false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who speaks lies will not escape.
6Many entreat the favor of the nobility,
And every man is a friend to one who gives gifts.
7All the brothers of the poor hate him;
How much more do his friends go far from him!
He may pursue them with words, yet they abandon him.
8He who gets wisdom loves his own soul;
He who keeps understanding will find good.
9A false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who speaks lies shall perish.
10Luxury is not fitting for a fool,
Much less for a servant to rule over princes.
11The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger,
And his glory is to overlook a transgression.
12The king's wrath is like the roaring of a lion,
But his favor is like dew on the grass.
13A foolish son is the ruin of his father,
And the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping.
14Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers,
But a prudent wife is from the Lord.
15Laziness casts one into a deep sleep,
And an idle person will suffer hunger.
16He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul,
But he who is careless of his ways will die.
17He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord,
And He will pay back what he has given.
18Chasten your son while there is hope,
And do not set your heart on his destruction.
19A man of great wrath will suffer punishment;
For if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.
20Listen to counsel and receive instruction,
That you may be wise in your latter days.
21There are many plans in a man's heart,
Nevertheless the Lord's counsel—that will stand.
22What is desired in a man is kindness,
And a poor man is better than a liar.
23The fear of the Lord leads to life,
And he who has it will abide in satisfaction;
He will not be visited with evil.
24A lazy man buries his hand in the bowl,
And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
25Strike a scoffer, and the simple will become wary;
Rebuke one who has understanding, and he will discern knowledge.
26He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother
Is a son who causes shame and brings reproach.
27Cease listening to instruction, my son,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28A disreputable witness scorns justice,
And the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
29Judgments are prepared for scoffers,
And beatings for the backs of fools.

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