Contrast the Upright and the Wicked
1 Better is a dry morsel [of food served] with quietnessandpeace
Than a house full of feasting [served] with strifeandcontention.
2 A wise servant will rule over the [unworthy] son who acts shamefullyandbrings disgrace [to the family]
And [the worthy servant] will share in the inheritance among the brothers.
3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But the Lordtests hearts.
4 An evildoer listens closely to wicked lips;
And a liar pays attention to a destructiveandmalicious tongue.
5 Whoever mocks the poor taunts his Maker,
And he who rejoices at [another’s] disaster will not go unpunished.
6 Grandchildren are the crown of aged men,
And the glory of children is their fathers [who live godly lives].
7 Excellent speech does not benefit a fool [who is spiritually blind],
Much less do lying lipsbenefita prince.
8 A bribe is like a bright, precious stone in the eyes of its owner;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.
9 He who coversandforgives an offense seeks love,
But he who repeatsorgossips about a matter separates intimate friends.
10 A reprimand goes deeper into one who has understandinganda teachable spirit
Than a hundred lashes into a fool.
11 A rebellious man seeks only evil;
Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 Let a man meet a [ferocious] bear robbed of her cubs
Rather than the [angry, narcissistic] fool in his folly.
13 Whoever returns evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.
14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water [as from a small break in a dam; first it trickles and then it gushes];
Thereforeabandon the quarrel before it breaks outandtempers explode.
15 He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous
Are both repulsive to the Lord.
16 Why is there money in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,
When he has no common senseoreven a heart for it?
17 A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
18 A man lacking common sense gives a pledge
And becomes guarantor [for the debt of another] in the presence of his neighbor.
19 He who loves transgression loves strifeandis quarrelsome;
He who [proudly] raises his gate seeks destruction [because of his arrogant pride].
20 He who has a crooked mind finds no good,
And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil.
21 He who becomes the parent of a fool [who is spiritually blind] does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool [who is spiritually blind] has no joy.
22 A happy heart is good medicineanda joyful mind causes healing,
But a broken spirit dries up the bones.
23 A wicked man receives a bribe from the [hidden] pocket
To pervert the ways of justice.
24 [Skillful and godly] wisdom is in the presence of a person of understanding [and he recognizes it],
But the eyes of a [thickheaded] fool are on the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son is a griefandanguish to his father
And bitterness to her who gave birth to him.
26 It is also not good to fine the righteous,
Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
27 He who has knowledge restrainsandis careful with his words,
And a man of understandingandwisdom has a cool spirit (self-control, an even temper).
28 Even a [callous, arrogant] fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise;
When he closes his lips he is regarded as sensible (prudent, discreet)anda man of understanding.