Proverbs 17:12
Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly.
In context
9 Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. 10 A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool. 11 Evildoers foster rebellion against God; the messenger of death will be sent against them. 12 Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly.
13 Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good. 14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out. 15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent— the Lord detests them both.
Compare in other versions
- KJV King James Version
— Proverbs 17:12 in the KJV
Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, Rather than a fool in his folly.
- ESV English Standard Version
— Proverbs 17:12 in the ESV
Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly.