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Proverbs 17

¹ Better is a dry morsel with quiet
than a house full of feasting with strife.
²A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully
and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.
³ The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
  and the LORD tests hearts.
⁴An evildoer listens to wicked lips,
and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.
⁵Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker;
he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
⁶ Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
and the glory of children is their fathers.
⁷Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;
still less is false speech to a prince.
⁸ A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it;
wherever he turns he prospers.
⁹Whoever covers an offense seeks love,
but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.
¹⁰A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding
than a hundred blows into a fool.
¹¹An evil man seeks only rebellion,
and a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
¹²Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs
  rather than a fool in his folly.
¹³If anyone returns evil for good,
  evil will not depart from his house.
¹⁴The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
so quit before the quarrel breaks out.
¹⁵He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous
are both alike an abomination to the LORD.
¹⁶Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom
when he has no sense?
¹⁷ A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
¹⁸One who lacks sense gives a pledge
and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.
¹⁹Whoever loves transgression loves strife;
he who makes his door high seeks destruction.
²⁰ A man of crooked heart does not discover good,
and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.
²¹He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow,
and the father of a fool has no joy.
²² A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
²³The wicked accepts a bribe in secret
to pervert the ways of justice.
²⁴ The discerning sets his face toward wisdom,
but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
²⁵ A foolish son is a grief to his father
  and bitterness to her who bore him.
²⁶ To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good,
nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
²⁷Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,
and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
²⁸Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;
when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

Proverbs 18

¹Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;
he breaks out against all sound judgment.
²A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing his opinion.
³When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,
and with dishonor comes disgrace.
⁴The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
⁵It is not good to be partial to the wicked
or to deprive the righteous of justice.
⁶A fool’s lips walk into a fight,
and his mouth invites a beating.
⁷ A fool’s mouth is his ruin,
and his lips are a snare to his soul.
⁸ The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.
⁹Whoever is slack in his work
is a brother to him who destroys.
¹⁰ The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
¹¹ A rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
and like a high wall in his imagination.
¹² Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty,
but humility comes before honor.
¹³If one gives an answer before he hears,
it is his folly and shame.
¹⁴A man’s spirit will endure sickness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?
¹⁵An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,
and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
¹⁶A man’s gift makes room for him
and brings him before the great.
¹⁷The one who states his case first seems right,
until the other comes and examines him.
¹⁸ The lot puts an end to quarrels
and decides between powerful contenders.
¹⁹A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city,
and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
²⁰ From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied;
he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.
²¹ Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.
²²He who finds a wife finds a good thing
and obtains favor from the LORD.
²³The poor use entreaties,
but the rich answer roughly.
²⁴A man of many companions may come to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 19

¹ Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity
than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
²Desire without knowledge is not good,
and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.
³When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin,
his heart rages against the LORD.
⁴ Wealth brings many new friends,
but a poor man is deserted by his friend.
⁵ A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who breathes out lies will not escape.
⁶Many seek the favor of a generous man,
and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.
⁷ All a poor man’s brothers hate him;
  how much more do his friends go far from him!
He pursues them with words, but does not have them. ⁸ Whoever gets sense loves his own soul;
he who keeps understanding will discover good.
⁹ A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who breathes out lies will perish.
¹⁰ It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury,
much less for a slave to rule over princes.
¹¹ Good sense makes one slow to anger,
and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
¹²A king’s wrath is like the growling of a lion,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.
¹³ A foolish son is ruin to his father,
and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.
¹⁴ House and wealth are inherited from fathers,
but a prudent wife is from the LORD.
¹⁵ Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep,
and an idle person will suffer hunger.
¹⁶Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life;
he who despises his ways will die.
¹⁷ Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD,
and he will repay him for his deed.
¹⁸ Discipline your son, for there is hope;
do not set your heart on putting him to death.
¹⁹A man of great wrath will pay the penalty,
for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.
²⁰Listen to advice and accept instruction,
that you may gain wisdom in the future.
²¹ Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.
²²What is desired in a man is steadfast love,
and a poor man is better than a liar.
²³The fear of the LORD leads to life,
and whoever has it rests satisfied;
he will not be visited by harm.
²⁴ The sluggard buries his hand in the dish
and will not even bring it back to his mouth.
²⁵ Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence;
  reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.
²⁶He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother
is a son who brings shame and reproach.
²⁷Cease to hear instruction, my son,
  and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
²⁸A worthless witness mocks at justice,
and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
²⁹Condemnation is ready for scoffers,
and beating for the backs of fools.