Chapter Seventeen

Better a dry crust of bread eaten in peace than a feast in a house full of strife.

A wise servant charged with disciplining the rebellious son will share the inheritance of his master’s children.

As a crucible assays silver and a furnace, gold,  Jehovah appraises the human heart.

The evil doer will listen to lying gossip, and the liar will credit malicious slander.

Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker, and he who rejoices at calamity will not remain unpunished.

Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly, and the glory of children is their parents.

Eloquent words are unfitting for a fool, much less do lying words become a prince.

A bribe is like a precious jewel to the one who receives it: wherever he turns, he prospers.

He who conceals a transgression promotes affection, but he who repeatedly draws attention to the matter separates good friends.

A single reproof makes a deeper impression on a wise man than a hundred lashes of the whip on a fool.

An evil man seeks only rebellion, but a ruthless messenger will be dispatched against him.

Better a man encounter a mother bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.

If a man returns evil for good, then evil will never leave his house.

The start of a quarrel is like the opening of a floodgate; therefore, abandon your disagreement before it breaks out.

Exonerating the guilty and condemning the innocent — both of these are an abomination to Jehovah.

Of what use is it for a fool to possess the price to buy knowledge when his mind is incapable of understanding it?

Everlasting is the love of a friend, and a brother is born to help in times of adversity.

It is a man void of sense who pledges casually to become a financial guarantor for a neighbor.

Whoever loves to give offense, loves a quarrel.  Whoever builds high his gate invites destruction.

One with a devious mind will not prosper, and he with a defiant tongue will find himself in trouble.

A man who fathers a fool grieves; there is no joy for the father of a fool.

A merry heart is a tonic, but a broken spirit drains one’s strength.

The wicked accept bribes secretly in order to pervert the course of justice.

The discerning person sets his eyes upon wisdom, but the eyes of the fool wander to the ends of the earth.

A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the mother who bore him.

To place a fine upon the righteous is not good, nor to flog officials when they are honest.

One who is judicious in his use of words is knowledgeable, and one who is even tempered is a man of understanding.

Even a fool is deemed wise when he stays silent, and he who keeps his mouth shut is esteemed as a man of prudence.