Proverbs 17

[Pro 17:1-28 NKJV] 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.