17 aBetter is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith,

Than an house full of ||sacrifices with strife.

2  A wise servant shall have rule over ba son that causeth shame,

And shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.

3  cThe fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold:

But the Lord dtrieth the hearts.

4  A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips;

And a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.

5  Whoso mocketh the poor ereproacheth ehis Maker:

And fhe that is glad at calamities shall not be †unpunished.

6  gChildren’s children are hthe crown of old men;

And ithe glory of children are their fathers.

7  †Excellent speech kbecometh not a fool:

Much less do †lying lips a prince.

8  lA gift is as †a precious stone in the eyes of mhim that hath it:

Whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.

9  nHe that covereth a transgression ||seeketh love;

But he that repeateth a matter oseparateth very friends.

10  ||A reproof qentereth more into a wise man

Than an hundred stripes into a fool.

11  An evil man seeketh only rebellion:

Therefore a rcruel messenger sshall be sent against him.

12  tLet a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man,

ttRather than a fool in his folly.

13  uWhoso rewardeth xevil for good,

Evil shall not depart from his house.

14  The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water:

Therefore yleave off contention, before it zbe meddled with.

15  He that ajustifieth the wicked, and he that bcondemneth the just,

Even they both are abomination to the Lord.

16  Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool

To cget wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it?

17  dA friend loveth at all times,

And a brother is born for adversity.

18  A man void of †understanding estriketh hands,

And ebecometh surety in the presence of his friend.

19  He loveth transgression that loveth strife:

And fhe that exalteth his gate seeketh destruction.

20  †He that hath a froward heart findeth no good:

And he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.

21  gHe that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow:

And the father of a fool hath no joy.

22  hA merry heart doeth good ||like a medicine:

But a hbroken spirit idrieth the bones.

23  A wicked man taketh a gift out of the kbosom

lTo pervert the ways of judgment.

24  mWisdom is nbefore him that hath understanding;

But nthe eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.

25  gA foolish son is a grief to his father,

And bitterness to nnher that bare him.

26  Also bto opunish the just is not good,

Nor to strike princes for equity.

27  He that hath knowledge oospareth his words:

And a man of understanding is of ||an excellent spirit.

28  Even a fool, pwhen he holdeth his peace, is counted wise:

And he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.