THE WORD Proverbs 17:1–28 (The Living Bible) A dry crust eaten in peace is better than steak every day along with argument and strife. 2A wise slave will rule his master’s wicked sons and share their estate. 3Silver and gold are purified by fire, but God purifies hearts. 4The wicked enjoy fellowship with others who are wicked; liars enjoy liars. 5Mocking the poor is mocking the God who made them. He will punish those who rejoice at others’ misfortunes. 6An old man’s grandchildren are his crowning glory. A child’s glory is his father. 7Truth from a rebel or lies from a king are both unexpected. 8A bribe works like magic. Whoever uses it will prosper! 9Love forgets mistakes; nagging about them parts the best of friends. 10A rebuke to a man of common sense is more effective than a hundred lashes on the back of a rebel. 11The wicked live for rebellion; they shall be severely punished. 12It is safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool caught in his folly. 13If you repay evil for good, a curse is upon your home. 14It is hard to stop a quarrel once it starts, so don’t let it begin. 15The Lord despises those who say that bad is good and good is bad. 16It is senseless to pay tuition to educate a rebel who has no heart for truth. 17A true friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. 18It is poor judgment to countersign another’s note, to become responsible for his debts. 19Sinners love to fight; boasting is looking for trouble. 20An evil man is suspicious of everyone and tumbles into constant trouble. 21It’s no fun to be a rebel’s father. 22A cheerful heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit makes one sick. 23It is wrong to accept a bribe to twist justice. 24Wisdom is the main pursuit of sensible men, but a fool’s goals are at the ends of the earth! 25A rebellious son is a grief to his father and a bitter blow to his mother. 26How shortsighted to fine the godly for being good! And to punish nobles for being honest! 27-28The man of few words and settled mind is wise; therefore, even a fool is thought to be wise when he is silent. It pays him to keep his mouth shut. GENTLENESS.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 20:50:55 +0000