1
Better is a dry morsel with quiet
than a house full of feasting with strife.
2
A slave who deals wisely will rule over a child who acts shamefully,
and will share the inheritance as one of the family.
3
The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
but the
4
An evildoer listens to wicked lips;
and a liar gives heed to a mischievous tongue.
5
Those who mock the poor insult their Maker;
those who are glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
6
Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
and the glory of children is their parents.
7
Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;
still less is false speech to a ruler. 1
8
A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of those who give it;
wherever they turn they prosper.
9
One who forgives an affront fosters friendship,
but one who dwells on disputes will alienate a friend.
10
A rebuke strikes deeper into a discerning person
than a hundred blows into a fool.
11
Evil people seek only rebellion,
but a cruel messenger will be sent against them.
12
Better to meet a she-bear robbed of its cubs
than to confront a fool immersed in folly.
13
Evil will not depart from the house
of one who returns evil for good.
14
The beginning of strife is like letting out water;
so stop before the quarrel breaks out.
15
One who justifies the wicked and one who condemns the righteous
are both alike an abomination to the
16
Why should fools have a price in hand
to buy wisdom, when they have no mind to learn?
17
A friend loves at all times,
and kinsfolk are born to share adversity.
18
It is senseless to give a pledge,
to become surety for a neighbor.
19
One who loves transgression loves strife;
one who builds a high threshold invites broken bones.
20
The crooked of mind do not prosper,
and the perverse of tongue fall into calamity.
21
The one who begets a fool gets trouble;
the parent of a fool has no joy.
22
A cheerful heart is a good medicine,
but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.
23
The wicked accept a concealed bribe
to pervert the ways of justice.
24
The discerning person looks to wisdom,
but the eyes of a fool to the ends of the earth.
25
Foolish children are a grief to their father
and bitterness to her who bore them.
26
To impose a fine on the innocent is not right,
or to flog the noble for their integrity.
27
One who spares words is knowledgeable;
one who is cool in spirit has understanding.
28
Even fools who keep silent are considered wise;
when they close their lips, they are deemed intelligent.