From “The Proverbs of Solomon”
Proverbs 17
Biblical Period
1Better a dry crust with peace
Than a house full of feasting with strife.
2A capable servant will dominate an incompetent son
And share the inheritance with the brothers.
3For silver—the crucible;
For gold—the furnace,
And the Lord tests the mind.
4An evildoer listens to mischievous talk;
A liar gives ear to malicious words.
5He who mocks the poor affronts his Maker;
He who rejoices over another’s misfortune will not go unpunished.
6Grandchildren are the crown of their elders,
And the glory of children is their parents.
7Lofty words are not fitting for a villain;
Much less lying words for a great man.
8A bribe seems like a charm to him who uses it;
He succeeds at every turn.
9He who seeks love overlooks faults,
But he who harps on a matter alienates his friend.
10A rebuke works on an intelligent man
More than one hundred blows on a fool.
11An evil man seeks only to rebel;
A ruthless messenger will be sent against him.
12Sooner meet a bereaved she-bear
Than a fool with his nonsense.
13Evil will never depart from the house
Of him who repays good with evil.
14To start a quarrel is to open a sluice;
Before a dispute flares up, drop it.
15To acquit the guilty and convict the innocent—
Both are an abomination to the Lord.
16What good is money in the hand of a fool
To purchase wisdom, when he has no mind?
17A friend is devoted at all times;
A brother is born to share adversity.
18Devoid of sense is he who gives his hand
To stand surety for his fellow.
19He who loves transgression loves strife;
He who builds a high threshold invites broken bones.
20Man of crooked mind comes to no good,
And he who speaks duplicity falls into trouble.
21One begets a dullard to one’s own grief;
The father of a villain has no joy.
Despondency dries up the bones.
23The wicked man draws a bribe out of his bosom
To pervert the course of justice.
24Wisdom lies before the intelligent man;
The eyes of the dullard range to the ends of the earth.
25A stupid son is vexation for his father
And a heartache for the woman who bore him.
26To punish the innocent is surely not right,
Or to flog the great for their uprightness.
27A knowledgeable man is sparing with his words;
A man of understanding is reticent.
28Even a fool, if he keeps silent, is deemed wise;
Intelligent, if he seals his lips.
Notes
Or “a cheerful face.”
Credits
Reprinted from Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures by permission of the University of Nebraska Press. Copyright 1985 by the Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 1.
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