Proverbs 17

The Proverbs of Solomon

1 m Better is a dry morsel with quiet
than a house full of feasting 1 with strife.
 2 A servant who deals wisely will rule over n a son who acts shamefully
and o will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.
 3 p The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
q and the Lord tests hearts.
 4 An evildoer listens to wicked lips,
and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.
 5 Whoever mocks the poor r insults his Maker;
he who is s glad at calamity will not go t unpunished.
 6 u Grandchildren are v the crown of the aged,
and the glory of children is their fathers.
 7 Fine speech is not w becoming to a fool;
still less is x false speech to a prince.
 8 y A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it;
wherever he turns he prospers.
 9 Whoever z covers an offense seeks love,
but he who repeats a matter a separates close friends.
 10 A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding
than a hundred blows into a fool.
 11 An evil man seeks only rebellion,
and b a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
 12 Let a man meet c a she-bear robbed of her cubs
d rather than a fool in his folly.
 13 If anyone e returns evil for good,
f evil will not depart from his house.
 14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
so g quit before the quarrel breaks out.
 15 He who h justifies the wicked and he who i condemns the righteous
are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
 16 Why should a fool have money in his hand j to buy wisdom
when he has no sense?
 17 k A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
 18 One who lacks sense gives a pledge
and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.
 19 Whoever loves transgression loves strife;
he who l makes his door high seeks destruction.
 20 m A man of crooked heart does not discover good,
and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.
 21 He who n sires a fool gets himself sorrow,
and the father of a fool has no joy.
 22 o A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit p dries up the bones.
 23 The wicked accepts q a bribe in secret 2
to r pervert the ways of justice.
 24 s The discerning sets his face toward wisdom,
but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
 25 n A foolish son is a grief to his father
t and bitterness to u her who bore him.
 26 v To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good,
nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
 27 Whoever w restrains his words has knowledge,
and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
 28 Even a fool x who keeps silent is considered wise;
when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

  1. Cross References
    Proverbs 15:17
    Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.
  2. Cross References
    Proverbs 17:21
    He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy.
    Proverbs 17:25
    A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.
    Proverbs 10:5
    He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
    Proverbs 19:26
    He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother is a son who brings shame and reproach.
  3. Cross References
    2 Samuel 16:4
    Then the king said to Ziba, "Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours." And Ziba said, "I pay homage; let me ever find favor in your sight, my lord the king.
  4. Cross References
    Proverbs 27:21
    The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and a man is tested by his praise.
  5. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 29:17
    I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you.
    Psalms 26:2
    Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind.
    Jeremiah 17:10
    "I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."
    Malachi 3:3
    He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.
  6. Cross References
    Proverbs 14:31
    Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
    Matthew 25:40
    And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.
    Matthew 25:45
    Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.
  7. Cross References
    Job 31:29
    If I have rejoiced at the ruin of him who hated me, or exulted when evil overtook him
    Obadiah 1:12
    But do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin; do not boast in the day of distress.
    Proverbs 24:17
    Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles.
  8. Cross References
    Proverbs 16:5
    Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord ; be assured, he will not go unpunished.
  9. Cross References
    Psalms 128:6
    May you see your children's children! Peace be upon Israel!
    Psalms 127:3 - 4
    Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.
  10. Cross References
    Proverbs 16:31
    Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.
  11. Cross References
    Proverbs 19:10
    It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury, much less for a slave to rule over princes.
    Proverbs 26:1
    Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.
  12. Cross References
    Proverbs 6:17
    Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.
  13. Cross References
    Proverbs 17:23
    The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert...
    Proverbs 18:16
    A man's gift makes room for him and brings him ...
    Proverbs 19:6
    Many seek the favor of a generous man, and ever...
    Proverbs 21:14
    A gift in secret averts anger, and a concealed ...
    Exodus 23:8
    And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds...
    Isaiah 1:23
    Your princes are rebels and companions of thiev...
    Amos 5:12
    For I know how many are your transgressions and...
  14. Cross References
    Proverbs 10:12
    Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.
  15. Cross References
    Proverbs 16:28
    A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.
  16. Cross References
    1 Kings 2:29
    And when it was told King Solomon, "Joab has fled to the tent of the Lord, and behold, he is beside the altar," Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, "Go, strike him down.
  17. Cross References
    2 Samuel 17:8
    Hushai said, "You know that your father and his men are mighty men, and that they are enraged, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Besides, your father is expert in war; he will not spend the night with the people.
    Hosea 13:8
    I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs; I will tear open their breast, and there I will devour them like a lion, as a wild beast would rip them open.
  18. Cross References
    Proverbs 27:3
    A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool's provocation is heavier than both.
  19. Cross References
    Psalms 35:12
    They repay me evil for good; my soul is bereft.
    Psalms 109:4 - 5
    In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.
    Proverbs 20:22
    Do not say, "I will repay evil"; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.
    Matthew 5:39
    But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
  20. Cross References
    2 Samuel 12:10
    Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.
  21. Cross References
    Proverbs 20:3
    It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.
    Proverbs 25:8
    Do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame?
  22. Cross References
    Proverbs 24:24
    Whoever says to the wicked, "You are in the right," will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations.
    Exodus 23:7
    Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked.
    Isaiah 5:23
    Who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!
  23. Cross References
    Job 34:17
    Shall one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty.
    Psalms 94:21
    They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.
    Proverbs 17:26
    To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good, nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
    Proverbs 18:5
    It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice.
  24. Cross References
    Proverbs 23:23
    Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
  25. Cross References
    Proverbs 18:24
    A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
    Proverbs 27:10
    Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend, and do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.
    Ruth 1:16
    But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.
    Job 6:14
    He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
  26. Cross References
    Proverbs 11:2
    When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.
    Proverbs 29:23
    One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.
  27. Cross References
    Proverbs 11:20
    Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord, but those of blameless ways are his delight.
  28. Cross References
    Proverbs 10:1
    The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.
    Proverbs 19:13
    A foolish son is ruin to his father, and a wife's quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.
  29. Cross References
    Proverbs 15:13
    A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.
  30. Cross References
    Psalms 22:15
    My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.
    Proverbs 12:25
    Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.
  31. Cross References
    Proverbs 17:8
    A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it; wherever he turns he prospers.
  32. Cross References
    Micah 3:11
    Its heads give judgment for a bribe; its priests teach for a price; its prophets practice divination for money; yet they lean on the Lord and say, "Is not the Lord in the midst of us? No disaster shall come upon us.
    Micah 7:3
    Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.
  33. Cross References
    Proverbs 14:6
    A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.
    Proverbs 15:14
    The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.
    Ecclesiastes 2:14
    The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them.
    Deuteronomy 30:11 - 14
    For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.
  34. Cross References
    Proverbs 17:21
    He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy.
  35. Cross References
    Proverbs 10:1
    The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.
  36. Cross References
    Proverbs 23:25
    Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice.
  37. Cross References
    Proverbs 17:15
    He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
  38. Cross References
    Proverbs 10:19
    When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
    James 1:19
    Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.
  39. Cross References
    Job 13:5
    Oh that you would keep silent, and it would be your wisdom!
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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