Main Text: Proverbs 17:1 Better [is] a dry morsel with quietness, Than a house full of feasting [with] strife. 2 A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame, And will share an inheritance among the brothers. 3 The refining pot [is] for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests the hearts. 4 An evildoer gives heed to false lips; A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue. 5 He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished. 6 Children's children [are] the crown of old men, And the glory of children [is] their father. 7 Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool, Much less lying lips to a prince. 8 A present [is] a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor; Wherever he turns, he prospers. 9 He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates friends. 10 Rebuke is more effective for a wise [man] Than a hundred blows on a fool. 11 An evil [man] seeks only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him. 12 Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, Rather than a fool in his folly. 13 Whoever rewards evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house. 14 The beginning of strife [is like] releasing water; Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts. 15 He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, Both of them alike [are] an abomination to the LORD. 16 Why [is there] in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom, Since [he has] no heart [for it]? 17 A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. 18 A man devoid of understanding shakes hands in a pledge, [And] becomes surety for his friend. 19 He who loves transgression loves strife, And he who exalts his gate seeks destruction. 20 He who has a deceitful heart finds no good, And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil. 21 He who begets a scoffer [does so] to his sorrow, And the father of a fool has no joy. 22 A merry heart does good, [like] medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. 23 A wicked [man] accepts a bribe behind the back To pervert the ways of justice. 24 Wisdom [is] in the sight of him who has understanding, 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 Also, to punish the righteous [is] not good, [Nor] to strike princes for [their] uprightness. 27 He who has knowledge spares his words, [And] a man of understanding is of a calm spirit. 28 Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; [When] he shuts his lips, [he is considered] perceptive. (NKJV)
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