Proverbs 17:20-28

English Standard Version

^20 (A)A man of crooked heart does not discover good,
    and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.
²¹ He who ^(B)sires a fool gets himself sorrow,
    and the father of a fool has no joy.
^22 (C)A joyful heart is good medicine,
    but a crushed spirit ^(D)dries up the bones.
²³ The wicked accepts ^(E)a bribe in secret^[a]
    to ^(F)pervert the ways of justice.
^24 (G)The discerning sets his face toward wisdom,
    but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
^25 (H)A foolish son is a grief to his father
    ^(I)and bitterness to ^(J)her who bore him.
^26 (K)To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good,
    nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
²⁷ Whoever ^(L)restrains his words has knowledge,
    and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
²⁸ Even a fool ^(M)who keeps silent is considered wise;
    when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.