Chapter 17

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

1 aBetter is a dry morsel and quietness with it

Than a house full of 1feasting 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 arefining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,

But bthe Lord tests hearts.

4 An aevildoer listens to wicked lips;

A 1liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

5 He who mocks the apoor taunts his Maker;

He who brejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.

6 aGrandchildren are the crown of old men,

And the bglory of sons is their fathers.

7 1aExcellent speech is not fitting for a fool,

Much less are blying lips to a prince.

8 A abribe is a 1charm in the sight of its owner;

Wherever he turns, he prospers.

9 He who aconceals a transgression seeks love,

But he who repeats a matter bseparates 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 aman meet a bbear robbed of her cubs,

Rather than a fool in his folly.

13 He who areturns evil for good,

bEvil will not depart from his house.

14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water,

So aabandon the quarrel before it breaks out.

15 He who ajustifies 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 abuy wisdom,

When 1he has no sense?

17 A afriend loves at all times,

And a brother is born for adversity.

18 A man lacking in 1sense 2apledges

And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.

19 He who aloves transgression loves strife;

He who braises his door seeks destruction.

20 He who has a crooked 1mind afinds no good,

And he who is bperverted in his language falls into evil.

21 He who asires a fool does so to his sorrow,

And the father of a fool has no joy.

22 A ajoyful heart 1is good medicine,

But a broken spirit bdries up the bones.

23 A wicked man receives a abribe from the bosom

To bpervert the ways of justice.

24 Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding,

But the aeyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

25 A afoolish son is a grief to his father

And bbitterness to her who bore him.

26 It is also not good to afine the righteous,

Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.

27 He who arestrains his words 1has knowledge,

And he who has a bcool spirit is a man of understanding.

28 Even a fool, when he akeeps silent, is considered wise;

When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.