Proverbs 17

1Better a dry morsel with peace than a house full of sacrifices with strife.

2A wise servant rules over a shameful son and shares the inheritance among brothers.

3A crucible serves for silver, a furnace for gold, but Yahweh tests hearts.

4An evildoer listens to evil lips; a liar attends to a destructive tongue.

5Whoever mocks the poor dishonors his Maker; he who rejoices in calamity will not be held innocent.

6Grandchildren are the crown of elders; fathers are the glory of children.

7Haughty speech does not suit a fool; much less do lying lips suit a prince.

8A bribe is a charming stone in the eyes of its owner; wherever he turns, he prospers.

9Whoever conceals a transgression pursues love, but whoever repeats a matter divides close friends.

10A rebuke enters more deeply into a discerning one than a hundred blows into a fool.

11An evildoer seeks only rebellion, and a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.

12A bereaved bear meeting a man is better than a fool in his folly.

13Whoever returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house.

14Letting out water is the beginning of contention, so abandon the quarrel before it meddles.

15Acquitting the wicked and condemning the righteous, both alike are an abomination to Yahweh.

16Why is this price in a fool's hand to buy wisdom when he has no heart?

17A companion loves in all seasons, and a brother is born for adversity.

18A man lacking sense strikes hands and becomes surety before his friend.

19Whoever loves transgression loves strife; whoever exalts his gate seeks destruction.

20One with a perverse heart finds no good, and one whose tongue is twisted falls into trouble.

21He who begets a fool brings sorrow to himself; the father of a fool does not rejoice.

22A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

23A wicked man takes a bribe from his bosom to twist the paths of justice.

24Wisdom is before the discerning, but the eyes of the fool are at the end of the earth.

25A foolish son is grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.

26Also, to punish the righteous is not good, nor to beat nobles for their uprightness.

27Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and a man of understanding has a calm and excellent spirit.

28Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent; shutting his lips makes him seem discerning.