17 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
    than a house full of feasting, with strife.^(A)

² A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son
    and will share the inheritance as one of the family.

³ The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,^(B)
    but the Lord tests the heart.^(C)

⁴ A wicked person listens to deceitful lips;
    a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

⁵ Whoever mocks the poor^(D) shows contempt for their Maker;^(E)
    whoever gloats over disaster^(F) will not go unpunished.^(G)

⁶ Children’s children^(H) are a crown to the aged,
    and parents are the pride of their children.

⁷ Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool—
    how much worse lying lips to a ruler!^(I)

⁸ A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it;
    they think success will come at every turn.^(J)

⁹ Whoever would foster love covers over an offense,^(K)
    but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.^(L)

¹⁰ A rebuke impresses a discerning person
    more than a hundred lashes a fool.

¹¹ Evildoers foster rebellion against God;
    the messenger of death will be sent against them.

¹² Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
    than a fool bent on folly.^(M)

¹³ Evil will never leave the house
    of one who pays back evil^(N) for good.^(O)

¹⁴ Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
    so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.^(P)

¹⁵ Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent^(Q)—
    the Lord detests them both.^(R)

¹⁶ Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom,
    when they are not able to understand it?^(S)

¹⁷ A friend loves at all times,
    and a brother is born for a time of adversity.^(T)

¹⁸ One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge
    and puts up security for a neighbor.^(U)

¹⁹ Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin;
    whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.

²⁰ One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper;
    one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.

²¹ To have a fool for a child brings grief;
    there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.^(V)

²² A cheerful heart is good medicine,
    but a crushed^(W) spirit dries up the bones.^(X)

²³ The wicked accept bribes^(Y) in secret
    to pervert the course of justice.^(Z)

²⁴ A discerning person keeps wisdom in view,
    but a fool’s eyes^(AA) wander to the ends of the earth.

²⁵ A foolish son brings grief to his father
    and bitterness to the mother who bore him.^(AB)

²⁶ If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good,^(AC)
    surely to flog honest officials is not right.

²⁷ The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,^(AD)
    and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.^(AE)

²⁸ Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
    and discerning if they hold their tongues.^(AF)

18 An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
    and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.

² Fools find no pleasure in understanding
    but delight in airing their own opinions.^(A)

³ When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
    and with shame comes reproach.

⁴ The words of the mouth are deep waters,^(B)
    but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.

⁵ It is not good to be partial to the wicked^(C)
    and so deprive the innocent of justice.^(D)

⁶ The lips of fools bring them strife,
    and their mouths invite a beating.^(E)

⁷ The mouths of fools are their undoing,
    and their lips are a snare^(F) to their very lives.^(G)

⁸ The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
    they go down to the inmost parts.^(H)

⁹ One who is slack in his work
    is brother to one who destroys.^(I)

¹⁰ The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;^(J)
    the righteous run to it and are safe.^(K)

¹¹ The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;^(L)
    they imagine it a wall too high to scale.

¹² Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
    but humility comes before honor.^(M)

¹³ To answer before listening—
    that is folly and shame.^(N)

¹⁴ The human spirit can endure in sickness,
    but a crushed spirit who can bear?^(O)

¹⁵ The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,^(P)
    for the ears of the wise seek it out.

¹⁶ A gift^(Q) opens the way
    and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.

¹⁷ In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,
    until someone comes forward and cross-examines.

¹⁸ Casting the lot settles disputes^(R)
    and keeps strong opponents apart.

¹⁹ A brother wronged^(S) is more unyielding than a fortified city;
    disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.

²⁰ From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
    with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.^(T)

²¹ The tongue has the power of life and death,^(U)
    and those who love it will eat its fruit.^(V)

²² He who finds a wife finds what is good^(W)
    and receives favor from the Lord.^(X)

²³ The poor plead for mercy,
    but the rich answer harshly.

²⁴ One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
    but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.^(Y)

22 A good name is more desirable than great riches;
    to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.^(A)

² Rich and poor have this in common:
    The Lord is the Maker of them all.^(B)

³ The prudent see danger and take refuge,^(C)
    but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.^(D)

⁴ Humility is the fear of the Lord;
    its wages are riches and honor^(E) and life.^(F)

⁵ In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls,^(G)
    but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.

⁶ Start^(H) children off on the way they should go,^(I)
    and even when they are old they will not turn from it.^(J)

⁷ The rich rule over the poor,
    and the borrower is slave to the lender.

⁸ Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity,^(K)
    and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.^(L)

⁹ The generous will themselves be blessed,^(M)
    for they share their food with the poor.^(N)

¹⁰ Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;
    quarrels and insults are ended.^(O)

¹¹ One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace
    will have the king for a friend.^(P)

¹² The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,
    but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.

¹³ The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside!^(Q)
    I’ll be killed in the public square!”

¹⁴ The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit;^(R)
    a man who is under the Lord’s wrath falls into it.^(S)

¹⁵ Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
    but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.^(T)

¹⁶ One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth
    and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.

27 Do not boast^(A) about tomorrow,
    for you do not know what a day may bring.^(B)

² Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth;
    an outsider, and not your own lips.^(C)

³ Stone is heavy and sand^(D) a burden,
    but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.

⁴ Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming,
    but who can stand before jealousy?^(E)

⁵ Better is open rebuke
    than hidden love.

⁶ Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
    but an enemy multiplies kisses.^(F)

⁷ One who is full loathes honey from the comb,
    but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.

⁸ Like a bird that flees its nest^(G)
    is anyone who flees from home.

⁹ Perfume^(H) and incense bring joy to the heart,
    and the pleasantness of a friend
    springs from their heartfelt advice.

¹⁰ Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family,
    and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster^(I) strikes you—
    better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.

¹¹ Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart;^(J)
    then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.^(K)

¹² The prudent see danger and take refuge,
    but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.^(L)

¹³ Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;
    hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider.^(M)

¹⁴ If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning,
    it will be taken as a curse.

¹⁵ A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping^(N)
    of a leaky roof in a rainstorm;
¹⁶ restraining her is like restraining the wind
    or grasping oil with the hand.

¹⁷ As iron sharpens iron,
    so one person sharpens another.

¹⁸ The one who guards a fig tree will eat its fruit,^(O)
    and whoever protects their master will be honored.^(P)

¹⁹ As water reflects the face,
    so one’s life reflects the heart.^[a]

²⁰ Death and Destruction^[b] are never satisfied,^(Q)
    and neither are human eyes.^(R)

²¹ The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,^(S)
    but people are tested by their praise.

²² Though you grind a fool in a mortar,
    grinding them like grain with a pestle,
    you will not remove their folly from them.

²³ Be sure you know the condition of your flocks,^(T)
    give careful attention to your herds;
²⁴ for riches do not endure forever,^(U)
    and a crown is not secure for all generations.
²⁵ When the hay is removed and new growth appears
    and the grass from the hills is gathered in,
²⁶ the lambs will provide you with clothing,
    and the goats with the price of a field.
²⁷ You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family
    and to nourish your female servants.