Proverbs 17:22
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
In context
19 Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction. 20 A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.
21 He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy. 22 A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. 23 The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice. 24 The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.
Compare in other versions
- KJV King James Version
— Proverbs 17:22 in the KJV
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: But a broken spirit drieth the bones.
- NIV New International Version
— Proverbs 17:22 in the NIV
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.