Proverbs 17

¹Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it
Than a house full of ^[a]feasting with strife.
² A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully,
And will share in the inheritance among brothers.
³ The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But the Lord tests hearts.
⁴ An evildoer listens to wicked lips;
A ^[b]liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.
⁵ He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker;
He who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.
⁶ Grandchildren are the crown of old men,
And the glory of sons is their fathers.
^7 [c]Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool,
Much less are lying lips to a prince.
⁸ A bribe is a ^[d]charm in the sight of its owner;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.
⁹ He who conceals a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends.
¹⁰ A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding
Than a hundred blows into a fool.
¹¹ A rebellious man seeks only evil,
So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
¹² Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.
¹³ He who returns evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.
¹⁴ The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.
¹⁵ He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
¹⁶ Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,
When ^[e]he has no sense?
¹⁷ A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
¹⁸ A man lacking in ^[f]sense ^[g]pledges
And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.
¹⁹ He who loves transgression loves strife;
He who raises his door seeks destruction.
²⁰ He who has a crooked ^[h]mind finds no good,
And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil.
²¹ He who sires a fool does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.
²² A joyful heart ^[i]is good medicine,
But a broken spirit dries up the bones.
²³ A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom
To pervert the ways of justice.
²⁴ Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding,
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.
²⁶ It is also not good to fine the righteous,
Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
²⁷ He who restrains his words ^[j]has knowledge,
And he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
²⁸ Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise;
When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.