March 16th Proverbs 17-18

17 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
    than a house full of feasting, with strife.
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,
    but the Lord tests the heart.
4 A wicked person listens to deceitful lips;
    a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.
5 Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker;
    whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
6 Children’s children 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!
8 A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it;
    they think success will come at every turn.
9 Whoever would foster love covers over an offense,
    but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
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.
13 Evil will never leave the house
    of one who pays back evil for good.
14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
    so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—
    the Lord detests them both.
16 Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom,
    when they are not able to understand it?
17 A friend loves at all times,
    and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
18 One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge
    and puts up security for a neighbor.
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.
22 A cheerful heart is good medicine,
    but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
23 The wicked accept bribes in secret
    to pervert the course of justice.
24 A discerning person keeps wisdom in view,
    but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son brings grief to his father
    and bitterness to the mother who bore him.
26 If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good,
    surely to flog honest officials is not right.
27 The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,
    and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.
28 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
    and discerning if they hold their tongues.


18 An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
    and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.
2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding
    but delight in airing their own opinions.
3 When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
    and with shame comes reproach.
4 The words of the mouth are deep waters,
    but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.
5 It is not good to be partial to the wicked
    and so deprive the innocent of justice.
6 The lips of fools bring them strife,
    and their mouths invite a beating.
7 The mouths of fools are their undoing,
    and their lips are a snare to their very lives.
8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
    they go down to the inmost parts.
9 One who is slack in his work
    is brother to one who destroys.
10 The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;
    the righteous run to it and are safe.
11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;
    they imagine it a wall too high to scale.
12 Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
    but humility comes before honor.
13 To answer before listening—
    that is folly and shame.
14 The human spirit can endure in sickness,
    but a crushed spirit who can bear?
15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,
    for the ears of the wise seek it out.
16 A gift opens the way
    and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.
17 In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,
    until someone comes forward and cross-examines.
18 Casting the lot settles disputes
    and keeps strong opponents apart.
19 A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city;
    disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.
20 From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
    with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.
21 The tongue has the power of life and death,
    and those who love it will eat its fruit.
22 He who finds a wife finds what is good
    and receives favor from the Lord.
23 The poor plead for mercy,
    but the rich answer harshly.
24 One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
    but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.