Proverbs 17

17 ¹Better a dry crust eaten in peace than a house full of feasting with strife. ²A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son and will share the inheritance among the brothers. ³The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, but our Father tests hearts. ⁴An evildoer listens to wicked lips; a liar listens to a destructive tongue. ⁵Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished. ⁶Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their parents. ⁷Fine speech is not fitting for a fool—still less are lying lips for a noble. ⁸A bribe seems like a magic charm to the one who gives it; wherever he turns, he thinks he will succeed. ⁹Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but whoever keeps bringing it up separates close friends. ¹⁰A rebuke goes deeper into a person of understanding than one hundred blows into a fool. ¹¹A rebellious man seeks only evil, and a cruel messenger will be sent against him. ¹²Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his foolishness. ¹³If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never leave his house. ¹⁴Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam, so drop the dispute before it bursts out. ¹⁵Whoever justifies the wicked and whoever condemns the righteous—both alike are detestable to our Father. ¹⁶Why should a fool have money in hand to buy wisdom, when he has no heart to learn? ¹⁷A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of trouble. ¹⁸One who lacks sense shakes hands on a pledge and puts up security for his neighbor. ¹⁹Whoever loves wrongdoing loves strife; whoever builds his gate high invites destruction. ²⁰A crooked heart finds no good, and a twisted tongue falls into trouble. ²¹Whoever fathers a fool brings grief on himself; the father of a godless fool has no joy. ²²A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. ²³A wicked man takes a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice. ²⁴A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends of the earth. ²⁵A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to the mother who bore him. ²⁶To punish the righteous is not good, nor to flog the noble for their integrity. ²⁷Whoever holds back his words has knowledge, and one with a calm spirit is a person of understanding. ²⁸Even a fool who keeps silent is thought wise; when he closes his lips, he seems discerning.