American Standard Version (1901)

Proverbs 17

1Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith,Than a house full of 1feasting with strife.2A servant that dealeth wisely shall have rule over a son that 2causeth shame,And shall have part in the inheritance among the brethren.3The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold;But Jehovah trieth the hearts.4An evil-doer giveth heed to wicked lips;And 3a liar giveth ear to a mischievous tongue.5Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker;And he that is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.6Children’s children are the crown of old men;And the glory of children are their fathers.74Excellent speech becometh not a fool;Much less do lying lips a prince.8A bribe is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it;Whithersoever 5it turneth, 6it 7prospereth.9He that covereth a transgression seeketh love;But he that harpeth on a matter separateth chief friends.10A rebuke entereth deeper into one that hath understandingThan a hundred stripes into a fool.118An evil man seeketh only rebellion;Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.12Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man,Rather than a fool in his folly.13Whoso rewardeth evil for good,Evil shall not depart from his house.14The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water:Therefore leave off contention, before there is quarrelling.15He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous,Both of them alike are an abomination to Jehovah.16Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,Seeing he hath no 9understanding?17A friend loveth at all times;And 10a brother is born for adversity.18A man void of 11understanding striketh hands,And becometh surety in the presence of his neighbor.1912He loveth transgression that loveth strife:He that raiseth high his gate seeketh destruction.20He that hath a wayward heart findeth no good;And he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into 13mischief.21He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow;And the father of a fool hath no joy.22A cheerful heart 14is a good medicine;But a broken spirit drieth up the bones.23A wicked man receiveth a bribe out of the bosom,To pervert the ways of justice.24Wisdom is before the face of him that hath understanding;But the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.25A foolish son is a grief to his father,And bitterness to her that bare him.26Also to 15punish the righteous is not good,Nor to smite the noble for their uprightness.27He 16that spareth his words hath knowledge;And he that is of a cool spirit is a man of understanding.28Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise;17When he shutteth his lips, he is esteemed as prudent.

Notes

  1. 17:1Hebrew the sacrifices of strife.↑
  2. 17:2Or, doeth shamefully↑
  3. 17:4Hebrew falsehood.↑
  4. 17:7Or, Arrogant↑
  5. 17:8Or, he↑
  6. 17:8Or, he↑
  7. 17:8Or, dealeth wisely↑
  8. 17:11Or, A rebellious man (Hebrew Rebellion) seeketh only evil↑
  9. 17:16Hebrew heart.↑
  10. 17:17Or, is born as a brother↑
  11. 17:18Hebrew heart.↑
  12. 17:19Or, He that loveth transgression loveth strife↑
  13. 17:20Or, calamity↑
  14. 17:22Hebrew causeth good healing.↑
  15. 17:26Or, fine↑
  16. 17:27Or, that hath knowledge spareth his words; And a man of understanding is of a cool spirit↑
  17. 17:28Or, He that shutteth his lips is etc.↑