Proverbs 17 – Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

1 Better a dry crust with peace

than a house full of feasting with strife.

2 A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son

and share an inheritance among brothers.

3 A crucible for silver, and a smelter for gold,

and the LORD is the tester of hearts.

4 A wicked person listens to malicious talk;[fn]

a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

5 The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker,

and one who rejoices over calamity

will not go unpunished.

6 Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly,

and the pride of children is their fathers.

7 Eloquent words are not appropriate on a fool’s lips;

how much worse are lies for a ruler.

8 A bribe seems like a magic stone to its owner;

wherever he turns, he succeeds.

9 Whoever conceals an offense promotes love,

but whoever gossips about it separates friends.

10 A rebuke cuts into a perceptive person

more than a hundred lashes into a fool.

11 An evil person desires only rebellion;

a cruel messenger[fn] will be sent against him.

12 Better for a person to meet a bear robbed of her cubs

than a fool in his foolishness.

13 If anyone returns evil for good,

evil will never depart from his house.

14 To start a conflict is to release a flood;

stop the dispute before it breaks out.

15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the just —

both are detestable to the LORD.

16 Why does a fool have money in his hand

with no intention of buying wisdom?

17 A friend loves at all times,

and a brother is born for a difficult time.

18 One without sense enters an agreement[fn]

and puts up security for his friend.

19 One who loves to offend loves strife;

one who builds a high threshold invites injury.

20 One with a twisted mind will not succeed,

and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin.

21 A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow;

the father of a fool has no joy.

22 A joyful heart is good medicine,

but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

23 A wicked person secretly takes a bribe

to subvert the course of justice.

24 Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive,

but a fool’s eyes roam to the ends of the earth.

25 A foolish son is grief to his father

and bitterness to the one who bore him.

26 It is certainly not good to fine an innocent person

or to beat a noble for his honesty.[fn]

27 The one who has knowledge restrains his words,

and one who keeps a cool head[fn]

is a person of understanding.

28 Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent ​—

discerning, when he seals his lips.