Proverbs 17:24-26

Good News Translation

²⁴An intelligent person aims at wise action, but a fool starts off in many directions.

²⁵Foolish children bring grief to their fathers and bitter regrets to their mothers.

²⁶It is not right to make an innocent person pay a fine; justice is perverted when good people are punished.

Proverbs 17:24-26

New International Version

²⁴A discerning person keeps wisdom in view,
but a fool’s eyes^(A) wander to the ends of the earth.

²⁵A foolish son brings grief to his father
and bitterness to the mother who bore him.^(B)

²⁶If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good,^(C)
surely to flog honest officials is not right.

Good News Translation (GNT)

New International Version (NIV)