Proverbs 17 - 18

« Prov 16 | Prov 17-18 | Prov 19 »

Better is a dry morsel and tranquility with it

Than a house full of feasting with strife.

A slave who acts insightfully will rule over a son who acts shamefully,

And will share in the inheritance among brothers.

The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,

But Yahweh tests hearts.

An evildoer gives heed to lips of wickedness;

A liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.

He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker;

He who is glad at disaster will not go unpunished.

Grandchildren are the crown of old men,

And the beauty of sons is their fathers.

Excellent lips are not fitting for a wicked fool,

Even less are lying lips for a noble man.

A bribe is a charm in the eyes of its owner;

Wherever he turns, he prospers.

He who covers a transgression seeks love,

But he who repeats a matter separates close companions.

A rebuke goes deeper into one who understands

Than a hundred blows into a fool.

A rebellious man seeks only evil,

So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs,

Rather than a fool in his folly.

He who returns evil for good,

Evil will not depart from his house.

The beginning of strife is like letting out water,

So abandon the dispute before it breaks out.

He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous,

Both of them alike are an abomination to Yahweh.

Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to acquire wisdom,

When he has no heart of wisdom?

A friend loves at all times,

And a brother is born for adversity.

A man lacking a heart of wisdom strikes his hands in pledge

And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.

He who loves transgression loves quarreling;

He who makes his doorway high seeks destruction.

He who has a crooked heart finds no good,

And he who is perverted in his tongue falls into evil.

He who begets a fool does so to his grief,

And the father of a wicked fool is not glad.

A glad heart is good medicine,

But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom

To thrust aside the paths of justice.

Wisdom is in the presence of the one who understands,

But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

A foolish son is a vexation to his father

And bitterness to her who gave birth to him.

It is also not good to punish the righteous,

Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.

He who holds back his words has knowledge,

And he who has a cool spirit is a man of discernment.

Even an ignorant fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise;

When he closes his lips, he is considered understanding.

He who separates himself seeks his own desire,

He breaks out in dispute against all sound wisdom.

A fool does not delight in discernment,

But only in revealing his own heart.

When a wicked man comes, despising also comes,

And with disgrace comes reproach.

The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;

The fountain of wisdom is a flowing brook.

To show partiality to the wicked is not good,

Nor to thrust aside the righteous in judgment.

A fool’s lips come with strife,

And his mouth calls for beatings.

A fool’s mouth is his ruin,

And his lips are the snare of his soul.

The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels,

And they go down into the innermost parts of the stomach.

He also who is slack in his work

Is brother to him who destroys.

The name of Yahweh is a strong tower;

The righteous runs into it and is set securely on high.

A rich man’s wealth is his strong city,

And like a high wall in his own delusion.

Before destruction the heart of man is haughty,

But humility goes before glory.

He who responds with a word before he hears,

It is folly and shame to him.

The spirit of a man can endure his sickness,

But as for a broken spirit, who can bear it?

The heart of the understanding acquires knowledge,

And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

A man’s gift makes room for him

And leads him into the presence of great men.

The first to plead his case seems right,

Until another comes and examines him.

The cast lot puts an end to contentions

And decides between the mighty ones.

A brother offended is harder to win over than a strong city,

And contentions are like the bars of a citadel.

From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied;

With the produce of his lips he will be satisfied.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

And those who love it will eat its fruit.

He who finds a wife finds a good thing

And obtains favor from Yahweh.

The poor man speaks supplications,

But the rich man answers with strong words.

A man of too many friends comes to ruin,

But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

« Prov 16 | Prov 17-18 | Prov 19 »