aBetter is a dry morsel and tranquility with it
Than a house full of feasting with strife.
2 A slave who acts insightfully will rule over a son who acts shamefully,
And will share in the inheritance among brothers.
3 The arefining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But bYahweh tests hearts.
4 An aevildoer gives heed to lips of wickedness;
A liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.
5 He who mocks the apoor reproaches his Maker;
He who is bglad at disaster will not go unpunished.
6 aGrandchildren are the crown of old men,
And the bbeauty of sons is their fathers.
7 aExcellent lips are not fitting for a wicked fool,
Even less are blying lips for a noble man.
8 A abribe is a charm in the eyes of its owner;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.
9 He who acovers a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter bseparates close companions.
10 A rebuke goes deeper into one who understands
Than a hundred blows into a fool.
11 A rebellious man seeks only evil,
So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 Let a aman meet a bbear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.
13 He who areturns evil for good,
bEvil will not depart from his house.
14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
So aabandon the dispute before it breaks out.
15 He who ajustifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to Yahweh.
16 Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to aacquire wisdom,
When he has no heart of wisdom?
17 A afriend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
18 A man lacking a heart of wisdom astrikes his hands in pledge
And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.
19 He who aloves transgression loves quarreling;
He who bmakes his doorway high seeks destruction.
20 He who has a crooked heart afinds no good,
And he who is bperverted in his tongue falls into evil.
21 He who abegets a fool does so to his grief,
And the father of a wicked fool is not glad.
22 A aglad heart is good medicine,
But a broken spirit bdries up the bones.
23 A wicked man receives a abribe from the bosom
To bthrust aside the paths of justice.
24 Wisdom is in the presence of the one who understands,
But the aeyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25 A afoolish son is a vexation to his father
And bbitterness to her who gave birth to him.
26 It is also not good to apunish the righteous,
Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
27 He who aholds back his words has knowledge,
And he who has a bcool spirit is a man of discernment.
28 Even an ignorant fool, when he akeeps silent, is considered wise;
When he closes his lips, he is considered understanding.