17 Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith,
Than a house full of ^[a]feasting with strife.
² A servant that dealeth wisely shall have rule over a son that ^[b]causeth shame,
And shall have part in the inheritance among the brethren.
³ The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold;
But Jehovah trieth the hearts.
⁴ An evil-doer giveth heed to wicked lips;
And ^[c]a liar giveth ear to a mischievous tongue.
⁵ Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker;
And he that is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.
⁶ Children’s children are the crown of old men;
And the glory of children are their fathers.
^7 [d]Excellent speech becometh not a fool;
Much less do lying lips a prince.
⁸ A bribe is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it;
Whithersoever ^[e]it turneth, ^[f]it ^[g]prospereth.
⁹ He that covereth a transgression seeketh love;
But he that harpeth on a matter separateth chief friends.
¹⁰ A rebuke entereth deeper into one that hath understanding
Than a hundred stripes into a fool.
^11 [h]An evil man seeketh only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
¹² Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man,
Rather than a fool in his folly.
¹³ Whoso rewardeth evil for good,
Evil shall not depart from his house.
¹⁴ The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water:
Therefore leave off contention, before there is quarrelling.
¹⁵ He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to Jehovah.
¹⁶ Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,
Seeing he hath no ^[i]understanding?
¹⁷ A friend loveth at all times;
And ^[j]a brother is born for adversity.
¹⁸ A man void of ^[k]understanding striketh hands,
And becometh surety in the presence of his neighbor.
^19 [l]He loveth transgression that loveth strife:
He that raiseth high his gate seeketh destruction.
²⁰ He that hath a wayward heart findeth no good;
And he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into ^[m]mischief.
²¹ He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow;
And the father of a fool hath no joy.
²² A cheerful heart ^[n]is a good medicine;
But a broken spirit drieth up the bones.
²³ A wicked man receiveth a bribe out of the bosom,
To pervert the ways of justice.
²⁴ Wisdom is before the face of him that hath understanding;
But the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.
²⁵ A foolish son is a grief to his father,
And bitterness to her that bare him.
²⁶ Also to ^[o]punish the righteous is not good,
Nor to smite the noble for their uprightness.
²⁷ He ^[p]that spareth his words hath knowledge;
And he that is of a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
²⁸ Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise;
^[q]When he shutteth his lips, he is esteemed as prudent.