Proverbs 17:18-28

New American Standard Bible

¹⁸ A person lacking in ^[a]sense ^(A)shakes hands
And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.
¹⁹ One who ^(B)loves wrongdoing loves strife;
One who ^(C)makes his doorway high seeks destruction.
²⁰ One who has a crooked ^[b]mind ^(D)finds nothing good,
And one who is ^[c](E)corrupted in his language falls into evil.
²¹ He who ^(F)fathers a fool does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.
²² A ^(G)joyful heart ^[d]is good medicine,
But a broken spirit ^(H)dries up the bones.
²³ A wicked person accepts a ^(I)bribe ^[e]from an inside pocket
To ^(J)pervert the ways of justice.
²⁴ Wisdom is in the presence of one who has understanding,
But the ^(K)eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
²⁵ A ^(L)foolish son is a grief to his father,
And ^(M)bitterness to her who gave birth to him.
²⁶ It is also not good to ^(N)fine the righteous,
Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
²⁷ One who ^(O)withholds his words ^[f]has knowledge,
And one who has a ^(P)cool spirit is a person of understanding.
²⁸ Even a fool, when he ^(Q)keeps silent, is considered wise;
When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.