Proverbs 17

17 Better a dry crust with peace

than a house full of feasting with strife.k

2 A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son

and share an inheritance among brothers.

3 A crucible for silver, and a smelter for gold,l

and the Lord is the tester of hearts.m

4 A wicked person listens to malicious talk;G

a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

5 The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker,n

and one who rejoices over calamity

will not go unpunished.o

6 Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly,

and the pride of children is their fathers.

7 Eloquent words are not appropriate on a fool’s lips;

how much worse are lies for a ruler.

8 A bribep seems like a magic stone to its owner;

wherever he turns, he succeeds.q

9 Whoever conceals an offense promotes love,r

but whoever gossips about it separates friends.s

10 A rebuke cuts into a perceptive person

more than a hundred lashes into a fool.

11 An evil person desires only rebellion;

a cruel messengerA,t will be sent against him.

12 Better for a person to meet a bear robbed of her cubsu

than a fool in his foolishness.

13 If anyone returns evil for good,v

evil will never depart from his house.w

14 To start a conflict is to release a flood;

stop the dispute before it breaks out.x

15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the justy —

both are detestable to the Lord.

16 Why does a fool have money in his hand

with no intention of buying wisdom?z

17 A friend loves at all times,aa

and a brother is born for a difficult time.

18 One without sense enters an agreementB

and puts up security for his friend.a

19 One who loves to offend loves strife;b

one who builds a high threshold invites injury.

20 One with a twisted mind will not succeed,

and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin.c

21 A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow;

the father of a fool has no joy.d

22 A joyful heart is good medicine,

but a broken spirit dries up the bones.e

23 A wicked person secretly takes a bribef

to subvert the course of justice.g

24 Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive,

but a fool’s eyesh roam to the ends of the earth.

25 A foolish son is grief to his father

and bitterness to the one who bore him.i

26 It is certainly not good to fine an innocent person

or to beat a noble for his honesty.A,j

27 The one who has knowledge restrains his words,k

and one who keeps a cool headB

is a person of understanding.

28 Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent—

discerning, when he seals his lips.l