# Proverbs 17 --- ## Better a Dry Morsel in Quietness - 1 Better a dry morsel in [[H7962|quietness]] - [[H1004|than a house]] full of feasting {Or "sacrifices" } with [[H7379|strife]]. - 2 A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son - and share his inheritance as one of the brothers. - 3 A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, - but the LORD is the tester of hearts. - 4 A wicked man listens to evil lips; - a liar gives ear to a destructive tongue. - 5 He who mocks the poor insults their Maker; - whoever gloats over calamity will not go unpunished. - 6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, - and the glory of a son is his father. - 7 Eloquent words are unfit for a fool; - how much worse are lying lips to a ruler! - 8 A bribe is a charm to its giver; - wherever he turns, he succeeds. - 9 [[H3680|Whoever conceals]] [[H6588|an offense]] [[H1245|promotes]] [[H0160|love]], - [[H8138|but he who brings it up]] [[H6504|separates]] [[H0441|friends]]. - 10 A rebuke cuts into a man of discernment - deeper than a hundred lashes cut into a fool. - 11 An evil man seeks only rebellion; - a cruel messenger will be sent against him. - 12 It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs - than a fool in his folly. - 13 If anyone returns evil for good, - evil will never leave his house. - 14 To start a quarrel is to release a flood; - so abandon the dispute before it breaks out. - 15 [[H6663|Acquitting]] [[H7563|the guilty]] [[H7561|and condemning]] [[H6662|the righteous]]— - [[H8147|both]] {"[[H1571|alike]]"} [[H8441|are detestable to]] [[H3069|the LORD]]. - 16 Why should the fool have money in his hand - with no intention of buying wisdom? - 17 A friend loves at all times, - and a brother is born for adversity. - 18 A man lacking judgment strikes hands in pledge - and puts up security for his neighbor. - 19 He who loves transgression loves strife; - he who builds his gate high invites destruction. - 20 The one with a perverse heart finds no good, - and he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble. - 21[[H3205|A man fathers]] [[H3684|a fool]] [[H8424|to his own grief]]; - [[H0001|the father]] [[H5036|of a fool]] has no joy. {[[H3808|no]] [[H8055|has joy]]} - 22 A joyful heart is good medicine, - but a broken spirit dries up the bones. - 23 [[H7563|A wicked man]] [[H3947|takes]] [[H2436|a covert]] [[H7810|bribe]] {Hebrew "a bribe from the bosom" } - [[H5186|to subvert]] [[H0734|the course]] [[H4941|of justice]]. - 24 Wisdom is the focus of the discerning, - but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends of the earth. - 25 A foolish son {[[H3684|foolish]] [[H1121|a son]]} [[H3708|brings grief]] [[H0001|to his father]] - [[H4470|and bitterness]] [[H3205|to her who bore him]]. - 26 It is surely not good to punish the innocent - or to flog a noble for his honesty. - 27 A man of knowledge restrains his words, - and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit. - 28 Even a fool is considered wise if he keeps silent, - and discerning when he holds his tongue. --- - Previous chapter: [[Proverbs_16]] - Next chapter: [[Proverbs_18]] - TOC: [[TOC_Proverbs]] --- The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible (https://bereanbible.com), BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub (https://biblehub.com), Discovery Bible (https://discoverybible.com), OpenBible.com (https://openbible.com), and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God's Word has been dedicated to the public domain (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0). ---