Proverbs 17

¹Better a dry morsel and quiet with it

²A slave who deals wisely will rule over a child who acts shamefully,

³A crucible is for the silver, and a furnace is for the gold,

⁴He who does evil listens to lips of wickedness,

⁵He who mocks the poor insults him who made him;

⁶The crown of the elderly are grandchildren,[#Literally “sons of sons”]

⁷Fine speech is not becoming a fool,[#Literally “A lip of fineness”]

⁸The bribe is a stone of magic in the eyes of its owner;[#Or “master”]

⁹He who forgives an affront fosters love,

¹⁰A rebuke strikes him who understands

¹¹An evil person will seek only rebellion,

¹²May a man meet a she-bear robbed of offspring

¹³For he who returns evil for good,

¹⁴Like the release of water is the beginning of strife;

¹⁵He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous,

¹⁶Why is this? A price in the hand of a fool,

¹⁷The friend loves at all times,[#Hebrew “time”]

¹⁸A person who lacks sense pledges;[#Literally “heart”; #Literally “pledges a hand”]

¹⁹He who loves transgression loves strife;

²⁰He who is crooked of heart will not find goodness,[#Or “mind”]

²¹He who begets a fool, there is trouble for him;

²²A cheerful heart is good medicine,

²³The wicked will accept a bribe from the lap,

²⁴He who understands sets his face toward wisdom,

²⁵A grief to his father is the child of a fool,

²⁶Also, imposing a fine on the righteous is not good,

²⁷He who spares his sayings knows knowledge,

²⁸Even a fool who keeps silent shall be considered wise;[#Literally “wise, he shall be considered”]