Proverbs 17

1Better a dry crust eaten in peace than a house full of feasting and quarrels. 2A servant with good sense will end up over a son who brings disgrace, and will get a share of the inheritance with the brothers. 3Silver is tried in the crucible and gold in the furnace, but it is the LORD who tests the heart. 4Evildoers pay attention to wicked talk; liars listen eagerly to malicious words. 5Whoever mocks the poor insults the One who made them; whoever gloats over disaster will not escape punishment. 6Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly, and children take pride in their parents. 7Eloquent words do not suit a fool; still less do lies suit a leader. 8A bribe seems like a lucky charm to the one who gives it; wherever he turns, it works. 9Whoever forgives a wrong builds up love, but whoever keeps bringing it up drives friends apart. 10A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding than a hundred lashes for a fool. 11The wicked are bent only on rebellion, so a merciless messenger will be sent against them. 12Facing a mother bear robbed of her cubs is safer than facing a fool in the middle of his folly. 13If anyone pays back good with evil, evil will never leave their house. 14Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop it before the fight bursts out. 15Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent: the LORD detests them both. 16What use is money in a fool’s hand to buy wisdom, when he has no mind to learn? 17A friend is loving through every season, and a brother is born to stand with you in trouble. 18Only someone with no sense shakes hands on a pledge and puts up security for a neighbor. 19Whoever loves quarrels loves sin; whoever builds a high gate invites ruin. 20A crooked heart finds nothing good, and a deceitful tongue lands in trouble. 21To raise a fool is to grieve; the father of a fool knows no joy. 22A cheerful heart heals like medicine, but a broken spirit saps the body’s strength. 23The wicked accept a bribe slipped from a pocket to twist the course of justice. 24The discerning keep wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth. 25A son who is a fool is a sorrow to his father and a bitter grief to the mother who bore him. 26It is wrong to fine the innocent, or to flog officials for their honesty. 27Whoever holds back words has knowledge, and someone with a steady spirit has understanding. 28Even fools are thought wise if they keep quiet; if they close their lips, they seem discerning.