Proverbs 17:2

A servant who acts wisely ¹  will rule over ²  an heir ³  who behaves shamefully, ⁴  and will share the inheritance along with the relatives. ⁵ 

A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son, and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.

A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully, And will share in the inheritance among brothers.

A wise slave will rule over the master’s shameful sons and will share their inheritance.

A wise servant takes charge of an unruly child and is honored as one of the family.

A servant who does wisely will have rule over a son causing shame, and will have his part in the heritage among brothers.

A slave who deals wisely will rule over a child who acts shamefully, and will share the inheritance as one of the family.

A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame, And will share an inheritance among the brothers.

A servant who acts wisely ¹  will rule over ²  an heir ³  who behaves shamefully, ⁴  and will share the inheritance along with the relatives. ⁵ 

¹ sn The setting is in the ancient world where a servant rarely advanced beyond his or her station in life. But there are notable exceptions (e.g., Gen 15:3 where the possibility is mentioned, 1 Chr 2:35 where it changed through marriage, and 2 Sam 16:1-4; 19:24-30, with the story of Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth). This proverb focuses on a servant who is wise, one who uses all his abilities effectively – a Joseph figure.

² sn The parallelism indicates that “ruling over” and “sharing in the inheritance” means that the disgraceful son will be disinherited.

³ tn Heb “son.”

⁴ tn The form מֵבִישׁ (mevish) is a Hiphil participle, modifying בֵן (ben). This original heir would then be one who caused shame or disgrace to the family, probably by showing a complete lack of wisdom in the choices he made.

⁵ tn Heb “in the midst of the brothers”; NIV “as one of the brothers.”