Proverbs 18:17-20
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
17 Those who plead the case first seem to be in the right;
then the opponent comes and cross-examines them.[a]
18 The lot puts an end to disputes,
and decides a controversy between the mighty.[b]
19 A brother offended is more unyielding than a stronghold;
such strife is more daunting than castle gates.[c]
20 With the fruit of one’s mouth one’s belly is filled,
with the produce of one’s lips one is sated.[d](A)
Footnotes
- 18:17 A persuasive speech in court can easily make one forget there is another side to the question. When the other party speaks, people realize they made a premature judgment. The experience at court is a lesson for daily life: there are two sides to every question.
- 18:18 See note on 16:33.
- 18:19 The Greek version, followed by several ancient versions, has the opposite meaning: “A brother helped by a brother is like a strong and lofty city; it is strong like a well-founded palace.” The Greek is secondary as is shown by the need to supply the phrase “by a brother”; further, the parallelism is inadequate. The Hebrew is to be preferred.
- 18:20 Fruit from the earth is our ordinary sustenance, but “the fruit of one’s lips,” i.e., our words, also affect our well-being. If our words and our deeds are right, then we are blessed, our “belly is filled.”
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