Proverbs 17:18-28

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

¹⁸ It is senseless to give a pledge,
    to become surety for a neighbor.
¹⁹ One who loves transgression loves strife;
    one who builds a high threshold invites broken bones.
²⁰ The crooked of mind do not prosper,
    and the perverse of tongue fall into calamity.
²¹ The one who begets a fool gets trouble;
    the parent of a fool has no joy.
²² A cheerful heart is a good medicine,
    but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.
²³ The wicked accept a concealed bribe
    to pervert the ways of justice.
²⁴ The discerning person looks to wisdom,
    but the eyes of a fool to the ends of the earth.
²⁵ Foolish children are a grief to their father
    and bitterness to her who bore them.
²⁶ To impose a fine on the innocent is not right,
    or to flog the noble for their integrity.
²⁷ One who spares words is knowledgeable;
    one who is cool in spirit has understanding.
²⁸ Even fools who keep silent are considered wise;
    when they close their lips, they are deemed intelligent.