Proverbs of Solomon 17 — The Holy Bible

Family and Friends

Better is a morsel with enjoyment in peace

Than a house full of many good things and unrighteous sacrifices with quarreling.

A servant with discernment shall rule over masters without discernment,

And will divide portions among brethren.

As silver and gold are tested in a furnace,

So are chosen hearts before the Lord.

An evil man heeds the tongue of the lawless,

But a righteous man pays no attention to false lips.

He who laughs at the poor provokes the One who made him,

And he who rejoices in destruction will not be unpunished;

But he who has compassion will be shown mercy.

The crown of old men is children of children,

And the boasting of children is their fathers.

The entire world of goods belongs to the faithful,

But to the faithless, not even a penny.

Faithful lips will not adapt to a man without discernment,

Nor lying lips to a righteous man.

Instruction awards benefits to those using it,

And wherever it turns, it prospers them.

He who hides wrongdoings seeks love,

But he who hates to cover them will separate friends and close relatives.

A threat breaks the heart of a man with discernment,

But a man without discernment, though flogged, has no perception.

Every evil man stirs up controversy,

But the Lord will send him a merciless messenger.

Care will befall a thoughtful man,

But men without discernment devise evil things.

He who repays evil for good,

Evil will not be removed from his house.

The foundation of righteousness gives authority to words,

But discord and quarreling precede poverty.

He who judges the unrighteous as righteous, and the righteous as unrighteous,

He is unclean and abominable before God.

Why do goods belong to a man without discernment?

For a heartless man is unable to gain wisdom.

He who makes his own house lofty seeks destruction,

And the one who turns away from learning will fall into evils.

Let a friend be with you on every occasion,

And let brethren be useful in necessities,

For they are begotten for this reason.

A man without discernment applauds and rejoices over himself,

As also the one who gives himself as surety for his friend.

He who loves sin rejoices in quarrels,

And the hard-hearted man does not assemble with good men.

A changeable man will fall into evils with his tongue,

And a heart without discernment is grief to the one possessing it.

A father does not delight in an uninstructed son;

But a son with discernment gladdens his mother.

A cheerful heart makes a man healthy,

But the bones of a sorrowful man dry him up.

The ways of a man who receives gifts unrighteously do not prosper,

And the ungodly man shuns the ways of righteousness.

The face of a wise man shows understanding,

But the eyes of the man without discernment are upon the ends of the earth.

A son without discernment is wrath to a father

And grief to her who bore him.

It is not good to punish a righteous man,

Nor is it holy to plot against righteous princes.

He who refrains from uttering a harsh word is intelligent,

And a longsuffering man has discernment.

Wisdom shall be imputed to a man without understanding who asks for wisdom,

And anyone who holds his peace will seem to have discernment.