Proverbs 17

¹Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith,

Than a house full of feasting with strife.

²A servant that dealeth wisely shall have rule over a son that causeth shame,

And shall have part in the inheritance among the brethren.

³The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold;

But Jehovah trieth the hearts.

⁴An evil-doer giveth heed to wicked lips;

And a liar giveth ear to a mischievous tongue.

⁵Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker;

And he that is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.

⁶Children’s children are the crown of old men;

And the glory of children are their fathers.

⁷Excellent speech becometh not a fool;

Much less do lying lips a prince.

⁸A bribe is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it;

Whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.

⁹He that covereth a transgression seeketh love;

But he that harpeth on a matter separateth chief friends.

¹⁰A rebuke entereth deeper into one that hath understanding

Than a hundred stripes into a fool.

¹¹An evil man seeketh only rebellion;

Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.

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

Rather than a fool in his folly.

¹³Whoso rewardeth evil for good,

Evil shall not depart from his house.

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

Therefore leave off contention, before there is quarrelling.

¹⁵He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous,

Both of them alike are an abomination to Jehovah.

¹⁶Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,

Seeing he hath no understanding?

¹⁷A friend loveth at all times;

And a brother is born for adversity.

¹⁸A man void of understanding striketh hands,

And becometh surety in the presence of his neighbor.

¹⁹He loveth transgression that loveth strife:

He that raiseth high his gate seeketh destruction.

²⁰He that hath a wayward heart findeth no good;

And he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.

²¹He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow;

And the father of a fool hath no joy.

²²A cheerful heart is a good medicine;

But a broken spirit drieth up the bones.

²³A wicked man receiveth a bribe out of the bosom,

To pervert the ways of justice.

²⁴Wisdom is before the face of him that hath understanding;

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

²⁵A foolish son is a grief to his father,

And bitterness to her that bare him.

²⁶Also to punish the righteous is not good,

Nor to smite the noble for their uprightness.

²⁷He that spareth his words hath knowledge;

And he that is of a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

²⁸Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise;

When he shutteth his lips, he is esteemed as prudent.