Proverbs 17:12-23

New King James Version

¹² Let a man meet ^(A)a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.

¹³ Whoever ^(B)rewards evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.

¹⁴ The beginning of strife is like releasing water;
Therefore ^(C)stop contention before a quarrel starts.

^15 (D)He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.

¹⁶ Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom,
Since he has no heart for it?

^17 (E)A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.

^18 (F)A man devoid of ^[a]understanding ^[b]shakes hands in a pledge,
And becomes ^[c]surety for his friend.

¹⁹ He who loves transgression loves strife,
And ^(G)he who exalts his gate seeks destruction.

²⁰ He who has a ^[d]deceitful heart finds no good,
And he who has ^(H)a perverse tongue falls into evil.

²¹ He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.

²² A ^(I)merry heart ^[e]does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones.

²³ A wicked man accepts a bribe ^[f]behind the back
To pervert the ways of justice.