Proverbs Chapter 17    

¹Better is a dry piece of crust and peace with it, than a household full of feasting with strife.
  ²An insightful servant will rule over a shameful son, and he will share the inheritance among brothers.
  ³A crucible is for silver and a furnace is for gold, but Yahweh puts hearts to the test.
  ⁴An evildoer pays attention to wicked lips; a liar listens to a destructive tongue.
  ⁵The one who mocks the poor taunts the one who created him; the one who is joyful at a calamity will not go unpunished.
  ⁶The crown of old men is their children’s children, and the glory of children is their fathers.
  ⁷Eloquent speech is not fitting for a godless person, how much less fitting are deceptive lips for a nobleman?
  ⁸A bribe is a ‘magic stone’ in the eyes of its owner; every direction he turns, he prospers.
  ⁹The one who covers over a transgression seeks love, but the one who repeats the issue separates close friends.
  ¹⁰A rebuke goes deeper into a person who has understanding than a hundred blows on a fool.
  ¹¹Surely a rebellious person seeks evil, so a cruel messenger^a will be sent against him.
  ¹²Better for a person to encounter a bear deprived of her cubs than to encounter a fool in his foolishness.
  ¹³The one who repays good with evil, evil will not depart from his house.
  ¹⁴The starting point of strife is like letting water flow freely, so abandon the dispute before it breaks out.
  ¹⁵The one who declares the wicked to be righteous, and the one who condemns the righteous; indeed, both of them alike are an abomination to Yahweh.
  ¹⁶Why is there payment in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom when he has no sense?
  ¹⁷A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for times of distress.
  ¹⁸A person lacking sense shakes hands on an agreement, making a solemn pledge in the presence of his neighbor.
  ¹⁹The one who loves transgression loves strife, the one who exalts his doorway seeks disaster.
  ²⁰A twisted heart will not find good, and the one who twists his tongue^b will fall into evil.
  ²¹He who fathers a fool does so to his own grief, and the father of a godless person will have no joy.
  ²²A cheerful heart is a good cure, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.
  ²³A wicked person takes a secret bribe^c to twist the paths of justice.
  ²⁴Wisdom is with the one who understands, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
  ²⁵A foolish son causes anger^d for his father and bitterness to the woman who bore him.
  ²⁶It is not good to issue a fine^e to a righteous person, nor to beat nobles for their uprightness.
  ²⁷The one who holds back his words has attained knowledge,^f and the one who has a cool spirit is a person of understanding.
  ²⁸Even a fool who remains silent is thought to be wise; when he shuts his lips, he is considered to be discerning.