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