Font Size
Proverbs 17
New International Reader's Version
Proverbs 17
New International Reader's Version
17 It is better to eat a dry crust of bread in peace and quiet
than to eat a big dinner in a house full of fighting.
2 A wise servant will rule over a shameful child.
He will be given part of the property as if he were a family member.
3 Fire tests silver, and heat tests gold.
But the Lord tests our hearts.
4 Evil people listen to lies.
Lying people listen to evil.
5 Anyone who laughs at those who are poor makes fun of their Maker.
Anyone who is happy when others suffer will be punished.
6 Grandchildren are like a crown to older people.
And children are proud of their parents.
7 Fancy words don’t belong in the mouths of ungodly fools.
And lies certainly don’t belong in the mouths of rulers!
8 Those who give money think it will buy them favors.
They think that no matter where they turn, they will succeed.
9 Whoever wants to show love forgives a wrong.
But those who talk about it separate close friends.
10 A person who understands what is right learns more from just a warning
than a foolish person learns from 100 strokes with a whip.
11 An evil person tries to keep others from obeying God.
The messenger of death will be sent against them.
12 It is better to meet a bear whose cubs have been stolen
than to meet a foolish person who is acting foolishly.
13 Evil will never leave the house
of anyone who pays back evil for good.
14 Starting to argue is like making a crack in a dam.
So drop the matter before a fight breaks out.
15 The Lord hates two things.
He hates it when the guilty are set free.
He also hates it when those who aren’t guilty are punished.
16 Why should a foolish person try to buy wisdom?
They are not even able to understand it.
17 A friend loves at all times.
They are there to help when trouble comes.
18 A person who has no sense agrees to pay what other people owe.
It isn’t wise to promise to pay other people’s bills.
19 The one who loves to argue loves to sin.
The one who builds a high gate is just asking to be destroyed.
20 If your heart is twisted, you won’t succeed.
If your tongue tells lies, you will get into trouble.
21 It is sad to have a foolish child.
The parents of a godless fool have no joy.
22 A cheerful heart makes you healthy.
But a broken spirit dries you up.
23 Anyone who does wrong accepts favors in secret.
Then they turn what is right into what is wrong.
24 Anyone who understands what is right keeps wisdom in view.
But the eyes of a foolish person look everywhere else.
25 A foolish child makes his father sad
and his mother sorry.
26 It isn’t good to fine those who aren’t guilty.
So it certainly isn’t good to whip officials just because they are honest.
27 Anyone who has knowledge controls their words.
Anyone who has understanding is not easily upset.
28 We think even foolish people are wise if they keep silent.
We think they understand what is right if they control their tongues.
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 International Reader's Version (NIRV) 
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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.