Your study library, in one place. Bible Gateway Plus brings trusted resources together to help you understand what you’re reading. Free 7-day trial.
Log In/Sign Up

#
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.

3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,(B)
but theLordtests the heart.(C)

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)

13 Evil will never leave the house
of one who pays back evil(N)for good.(O)

14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.(P)

15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent(Q)—
theLorddetests them both.(R)

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)

22 A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed(W)spirit dries up the bones.(X)

23 The wicked accept bribes(Y)in secret
to pervert the course of justice.(Z)

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)

#### Cross references

1. Proverbs 17:1:S Pr 15:16, 17; S 16:8
2. Proverbs 17:3:Pr 27:21
3. Proverbs 17:3:S 1Ch 29:17; Ps 26:2; S 139:23; 1Pe 1:7
4. Proverbs 17:5:S Job 5:16
5. Proverbs 17:5:Pr 14:31
6. Proverbs 17:5:S Job 31:29
7. Proverbs 17:5:Eze 25:3; Ob 1:12
8. Proverbs 17:6:S Ps 128:5-6
9. Proverbs 17:7:Pr 16:10
10. Proverbs 17:8:S Ex 23:8; Pr 19:6
11. Proverbs 17:9:S Pr 10:12
12. Proverbs 17:9:Pr 16:28
13. Proverbs 17:12:S 1Sa 25:25
14. Proverbs 17:13:S 1Sa 19:4
15. Proverbs 17:13:S Ge 44:4; S Ps 35:12
16. Proverbs 17:14:Mt 5:25-26
17. Proverbs 17:15:S Ps 94:21; S Pr 18:5
18. Proverbs 17:15:Ex 23:6-7; Isa 5:23; La 3:34-36
19. Proverbs 17:16:Pr 23:23
20. Proverbs 17:17:S 2Sa 15:21; Pr 27:10
21. Proverbs 17:18:Pr 6:1-5; S 11:15; 22:26-27
22. Proverbs 17:21:S Pr 10:1
23. Proverbs 17:22:S Ps 38:8
24. Proverbs 17:22:S Ex 12:46; Pr 14:30; S 15:13; 18:14
25. Proverbs 17:23:S Ex 18:21; S 23:8; S 1Sa 8:3
26. Proverbs 17:23:S Job 34:33
27. Proverbs 17:24:S Job 31:1
28. Proverbs 17:25:S Pr 10:1
29. Proverbs 17:26:S Ps 94:21
30. Proverbs 17:27:S Job 6:24
31. Proverbs 17:27:S Pr 14:29
32. Proverbs 17:28:S Job 2:13; 13:5; S Pr 10:19

New International Version(NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 byBiblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

### More on the NIV

- Unleash God's Word!

#### Bible Gateway Recommends

NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Red Letter Edition: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture
Retail: $59.99
Our Price: $41.99
Save: $18.00 (30%)
Buy Now
NIV, Chronological Study Bible, Comfort Print: Holy Bible, New International Version
Retail: $49.99
Our Price: $34.99
Save: $15.00 (30%)
Buy Now
NIV, Artisan Collection Bible, Gilded Edges, Red Letter Edition, Comfort Print
Retail: $59.99
Our Price: $41.99
Save: $18.00 (30%)
Buy Now
NIV, Journal the Word Bible, Red Letter, Comfort Print: Reflect, Take Notes, or Create Art Next to Your Favorite Verses
Retail: $39.99
Our Price: $27.99
Save: $12.00 (30%)
Buy Now
NIV, Lucado Encouraging Word Bible, Comfort Print: Holy Bible, New International Version
Retail: $59.99
Our Price: $41.99
Save: $18.00 (30%)
Buy Now
NIV Application Bible, Red Letter, Comfort Print: Bringing the Ancient Message of the Bible into Your World
Retail: $54.99
Our Price: $35.00
Save: $19.99 (36%)
Buy Now
View more titles