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Proverbs 17
New Century Version
Proverbs 17
New Century Version
17 It is better to eat a dry crust of bread in peace
than to have a feast where there is quarreling.
2 A wise servant will rule over the master’s disgraceful child
and will even inherit a share of what the master leaves his children.
3 A hot furnace tests silver and gold,
but the Lord tests hearts.
4 Evil people listen to evil words.
Liars pay attention to cruel words.
5 Whoever mistreats the poor insults their Maker;
whoever enjoys someone’s trouble will be punished.
6 Old people are proud of their grandchildren,
and children are proud of their parents.
7 Fools should not be proud,
and rulers should not be liars.
8 Some people think they can pay others to do anything they ask.
They think it will work every time.
9 Whoever forgives someone’s sin makes a friend,
but gossiping about the sin breaks up friendships.
10 A wise person will learn more from a warning
than a fool will learn from a hundred lashings.
11 Disobedient people look only for trouble,
so a cruel messenger will be sent against them.
12 It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than to meet a fool doing foolish things.
13 Whoever gives evil in return for good
will always have trouble at home.
14 Starting a quarrel is like a leak in a dam,
so stop it before a fight breaks out.
15 The Lord hates both of these things:
freeing the guilty and punishing the innocent.
16 It won’t do a fool any good to try to buy wisdom,
because he doesn’t have the ability to be wise.
17 A friend loves you all the time,
and a brother helps in time of trouble.
18 It is not wise to promise
to pay what your neighbor owes.
19 Whoever loves to argue loves to sin.
Whoever brags a lot is asking for trouble.
20 A person with an evil heart will find no success,
and the person whose words are evil will get into trouble.
21 It is sad to have a foolish child;
there is no joy in being the parent of a fool.
22 A happy heart is like good medicine,
but a broken spirit drains your strength.
23 When the wicked accept money to do wrong
there can be no justice.
24 The person with understanding is always looking for wisdom,
but the mind of a fool wanders everywhere.
25 Foolish children make their father sad
and cause their mother great sorrow.
26 It is not good to punish the innocent
or to beat leaders for being honest.
27 The wise say very little,
and those with understanding stay calm.
28 Even fools seem to be wise if they keep quiet;
if they don’t speak, they appear to understand.
Proverbs 17
New International Version
Proverbs 17
New International Version
17 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
than a house full of feasting, with strife.(A)
2 A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son
and will share the inheritance as one of the family.
4 A wicked person listens to deceitful lips;
a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.
5 Whoever mocks the poor(D) shows contempt for their Maker;(E)
whoever gloats over disaster(F) will not go unpunished.(G)
6 Children’s children(H) are a crown to the aged,
and parents are the pride of their children.
7 Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool—
how much worse lying lips to a ruler!(I)
8 A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it;
they think success will come at every turn.(J)
9 Whoever would foster love covers over an offense,(K)
but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.(L)
10 A rebuke impresses a discerning person
more than a hundred lashes a fool.
11 Evildoers foster rebellion against God;
the messenger of death will be sent against them.
12 Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than a fool bent on folly.(M)
14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.(P)
16 Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom,
when they are not able to understand it?(S)
17 A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for a time of adversity.(T)
18 One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge
and puts up security for a neighbor.(U)
19 Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin;
whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.
20 One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper;
one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.
21 To have a fool for a child brings grief;
there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.(V)
24 A discerning person keeps wisdom in view,
but a fool’s eyes(AA) wander to the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son brings grief to his father
and bitterness to the mother who bore him.(AB)
26 If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good,(AC)
surely to flog honest officials is not right.
27 The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,(AD)
and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.(AE)
28 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
and discerning if they hold their tongues.(AF)
New Century Version (NCV) 
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.