1Better a dry crust with peace
than a house full of feasting with strife.
2A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son
and share an inheritance among brothers.
3A crucible for silver, and a smelter for gold,
and the Lord is the tester of hearts.
4A wicked person listens to malicious talk;
a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.
5The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker,
and one who rejoices over calamity
will not go unpunished.
6Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly,
and the pride of children is their fathers.
7Eloquent words are not appropriate on a fool’s lips;
how much worse are lies for a ruler.
8A bribe seems like a magic stone to its owner;
wherever he turns, he succeeds.
9Whoever conceals an offense promotes love,
but whoever gossips about it separates friends.
10A rebuke cuts into a perceptive person
more than a hundred lashes into a fool.
11An evil person desires only rebellion;
a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12Better for a person to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than a fool in his foolishness.
13If anyone returns evil for good,
evil will never depart from his house.
14To start a conflict is to release a flood;
stop the dispute before it breaks out.
15Acquitting the guilty and condemning the just —
both are detestable to the Lord.
16Why does a fool have money in his hand
with no intention of buying wisdom?
17A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for a difficult time.
18One without sense enters an agreement
and puts up security for his friend.
19One who loves to offend loves strife;
one who builds a high threshold invites injury.
20One with a twisted mind will not succeed,
and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin.
21A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow;
the father of a fool has no joy.
22A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit dries up the bones.
23A wicked person secretly takes a bribe
to subvert the course of justice.
24Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive,
but a fool’s eyes roam to the ends of the earth.
25A foolish son is grief to his father
and bitterness to the one who bore him.
26It is certainly not good to fine an innocent person
or to beat a noble for his honesty.
27The one who has knowledge restrains his words,
and one who keeps a cool head
is a person of understanding.
28Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent —
discerning, when he seals his lips.