Proverbs 17:13-26
Proverbs 17:13-26 The Message (MSG)
Those who return evil for good will meet their own evil returning. The start of a quarrel is like a leak in a dam, so stop it before it bursts. Whitewashing bad people and throwing mud on good people are equally abhorrent to GOD. What’s this? Fools out shopping for wisdom! They wouldn’t recognize it if they saw it! Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble. It’s stupid to try to get something for nothing, or run up huge bills you can never pay. The person who courts sin marries trouble; build a wall, invite a burglar. A bad motive can’t achieve a good end; double-talk brings you double trouble. Having a fool for a child is misery; it’s no fun being the parent of a dolt. A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired. The wicked take bribes under the table; they show nothing but contempt for justice. The perceptive find wisdom in their own front yard; fools look for it everywhere but right here. A surly, stupid child is sheer pain to a father, a bitter pill for a mother to swallow. It’s wrong to penalize good behavior, or make good citizens pay for the crimes of others.
Proverbs 17:13-26 King James Version (KJV)
Whoso rewardeth evil for good, Evil shall not depart from his house. The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: Therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with. He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, Even they both are abomination to the LORD. Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, Seeing he hath no heart to it? A friend loveth at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. A man void of understanding striketh hands, And becometh surety in the presence of his friend. He loveth transgression that loveth strife: And he that exalteth his gate seeketh destruction. He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: And he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief. He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: And the father of a fool hath no joy. A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: But a broken spirit drieth the bones. A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom To pervert the ways of judgment. Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; But the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth. A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her that bare him. Also to punish the just is not good, Nor to strike princes for equity.
Proverbs 17:13-26 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
He who returns evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house. The beginning of strife is like letting out water, So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out. He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD. Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, When he has no sense? A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. A man lacking in sense pledges And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor. He who loves transgression loves strife; He who raises his door seeks destruction. He who has a crooked mind finds no good, And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil. He who sires a fool does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool has no joy. A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones. A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom To pervert the ways of justice. Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. A foolish son is a grief to his father And bitterness to her who bore him. It is also not good to fine the righteous, Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
Proverbs 17:13-26 New Century Version (NCV)
Whoever gives evil in return for good will always have trouble at home. Starting a quarrel is like a leak in a dam, so stop it before a fight breaks out. The LORD hates both of these things: freeing the guilty and punishing the innocent. It won’t do a fool any good to try to buy wisdom, because he doesn’t have the ability to be wise. A friend loves you all the time, and a brother helps in time of trouble. It is not wise to promise to pay what your neighbor owes. Whoever loves to argue loves to sin. Whoever brags a lot is asking for trouble. A person with an evil heart will find no success, and the person whose words are evil will get into trouble. It is sad to have a foolish child; there is no joy in being the parent of a fool. A happy heart is like good medicine, but a broken spirit drains your strength. When the wicked accept money to do wrong there can be no justice. The person with understanding is always looking for wisdom, but the mind of a fool wanders everywhere. Foolish children make their father sad and cause their mother great sorrow. It is not good to punish the innocent or to beat leaders for being honest.
Proverbs 17:13-26 American Standard Version (ASV)
Whoso rewardeth evil for good, Evil shall not depart from his house. The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: Therefore leave off contention, before there is quarrelling. He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to Jehovah. Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, Seeing he hath no understanding? A friend loveth at all times; And a brother is born for adversity. A man void of understanding striketh hands, And becometh surety in the presence of his neighbor. He loveth transgression that loveth strife: He that raiseth high his gate seeketh destruction. He that hath a wayward heart findeth no good; And he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief. He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow; And the father of a fool hath no joy. A cheerful heart is a good medicine; But a broken spirit drieth up the bones. A wicked man receiveth a bribe out of the bosom, To pervert the ways of justice. Wisdom is before the face of him that hath understanding; But the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth. A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her that bare him. Also to punish the righteous is not good, Nor to smite the noble for their uprightness.
Proverbs 17:13-26 New International Version (NIV)
Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good. Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out. Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent— the LORD detests them both. Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom, when they are not able to understand it? A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge and puts up security for a neighbor. Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin; whoever builds a high gate invites destruction. One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble. To have a fool for a child brings grief; there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool. A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. The wicked accept bribes in secret to pervert the course of justice. A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth. A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the mother who bore him. If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good, surely to flog honest officials is not right.
Proverbs 17:13-26 New King James Version (NKJV)
Whoever rewards evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house. The beginning of strife is like releasing water; Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts. He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD. Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom, Since he has no heart for it? A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. A man devoid of understanding shakes hands in a pledge, And becomes surety for his friend. He who loves transgression loves strife, And he who exalts his gate seeks destruction. He who has a deceitful heart finds no good, And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil. He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool has no joy. A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back To pervert the ways of justice. Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her who bore him. Also, to punish the righteous is not good, Nor to strike princes for their uprightness.
Proverbs 17:13-26 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Whoever returns evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house. [Ps 109:4, 5; Jer 18:20] The beginning of strife is like letting out water [as from a small break in a dam; first it trickles and then it gushes]; Therefore abandon the quarrel before it breaks out and tempers explode. He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous Are both repulsive to the LORD. [Ex 23:7; Prov 24:24; Is 5:23] Why is there money in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, When he has no common sense or even a heart for it? A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. A man lacking common sense gives a pledge And becomes guarantor [for the debt of another] in the presence of his neighbor. He who loves transgression loves strife and is quarrelsome; He who [proudly] raises his gate seeks destruction [because of his arrogant pride]. He who has a crooked mind finds no good, And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil. [James 3:8] He who becomes the parent of a fool [who is spiritually blind] does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool [who is spiritually blind] has no joy. A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing, But a broken spirit dries up the bones. [Prov 12:25; 15:13, 15] A wicked man receives a bribe from the [hidden] pocket To pervert the ways of justice. [Skillful and godly] wisdom is in the presence of a person of understanding [and he recognizes it], But the eyes of a [thickheaded] fool are on the ends of the earth. A foolish son is a grief and anguish to his father And bitterness to her who gave birth to him. It is also not good to fine the righteous, Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
Proverbs 17:13-26 New Living Translation (NLT)
If you repay good with evil, evil will never leave your house. Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate, so stop before a dispute breaks out. Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent— both are detestable to the LORD. It is senseless to pay to educate a fool, since he has no heart for learning. A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. It’s poor judgment to guarantee another person’s debt or put up security for a friend. Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin; anyone who trusts in high walls invites disaster. The crooked heart will not prosper; the lying tongue tumbles into trouble. It is painful to be the parent of a fool; there is no joy for the father of a rebel. A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. The wicked take secret bribes to pervert the course of justice. Sensible people keep their eyes glued on wisdom, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth. Foolish children bring grief to their father and bitterness to the one who gave them birth. It is wrong to punish the godly for being good or to flog leaders for being honest.
Proverbs 17:13-26 The Passion Translation (TPT)
The one who returns evil for good can expect to be treated the same way for the rest of his life. Don’t be one who is quick to quarrel, for an argument is hard to stop, and you never know how it will end, so don’t even start down that road! There is nothing God hates more than condemning the one who is innocent and acquitting the one who is guilty. Why pay tuition to educate a fool? For he has no intention of acquiring true wisdom. A dear friend will love you no matter what, and a family sticks together through all kinds of trouble. It’s stupid to run up bills you’ll never be able to pay or to cosign for the loan of your friend. Save yourself the trouble and don’t do either one. If you love to argue, then you must be in love with sin. For the one who loves to boast is only asking for trouble. The one with a perverse heart never has anything good to say, and the chronic liar tumbles into constant trouble. Parents of a numbskull will have many sorrows, for there’s nothing about his lifestyle that will make them proud. A joyful, cheerful heart brings healing to both body and soul. But the one whose heart is crushed struggles with sickness and depression. When you take a secret bribe, your actions reveal your true character, for you pervert the ways of justice. Even the face of a wise man shows his intelligence. But the wandering eyes of a fool will look for wisdom everywhere except right in front of his nose. A father grieves over the foolishness of his child, and bitter sorrow fills his mother. It’s horrible to persecute a holy lover of God or to strike an honorable man for his integrity!
Proverbs 17:13-26 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
If anyone returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house. The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out. He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD. Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom when he has no sense? A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. One who lacks sense gives a pledge and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor. Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction. A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity. He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy. A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice. The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him. To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good, nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.