Proverbs 17:12
10 A rebuke cuts into a man of discernment deeper than a hundred lashes cut into a fool.
11 An evil man seeks only rebellion; a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.
13 If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never leave his house.
14 To start a quarrel is to release a flood; so abandon the dispute before it breaks out.
Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.
- KJV
- Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.
- WEB
- Let a bear robbed of her cubs meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.
- ASV
- Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, Rather than a fool in his folly.
- DARBY
- Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man rather than a fool in his folly.
- BLB
- Let meet a bear robbed of her cubs with a man, and not a fool in his folly.
- ÅB
- Bedre for en mann å møte en bjørn som ungene er tatt fra, enn en dåre i hans dårskap.
- OTB
- Bedre å møte en bjørn som er frarøvet sine unger enn en dåre i hans dårskap.
- B1930
- Bedre for en mann å møte en bjørn som ungene er tatt fra, enn en dåre i hans dårskap.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
2 Samuel 17:8
He continued, “You know your father and his men. They are mighty men, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Moreover, your father is a man of war who will not spend the night with the troops.
Read in contextHosea 13:8
Like a bear robbed of her cubs I will attack them, and I will tear open their chests. There I will devour them like a lion, like a wild beast would tear them apart.
Read in contextProverbs 27:3
A stone is heavy and sand is a burden, but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both.
Read in contextProverbs 28:15
Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.
Read in context2 Kings 2:24
Then he turned around, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Suddenly two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.
Read in contextMatthew 2:16
When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi.
Read in context