¹A dry morsel when there is calm with it

Is better than a house full of meat with strife.

²An intelligent servant will rule over a son who causes shame,

And he will have a share of the inheritance among the brothers.

³The crucible is for silver,

And the furnace for gold,

But it is the Lord who tests hearts.

⁴An evildoer heeds unprofitable lips,

And a lie feeds a perverse tongue.

⁵He who mocks the poor

Reproaches his maker;

He who rejoices in another's calamity

Will not be absolved.

⁶Grandchildren are the crown of old men,

And the glory of sons is their fathers.

⁷Verbosity is not becoming to an irreverent man;

How much less lying lips to a well-bred man!

⁸A gift is a beautiful gemstone in the eyes of its owner;

Wherever he turns,

He considers it.

⁹He who pardons a transgression

Seeks love,

But he who is fickle in a matter

Alienates friends.

¹⁰A rebuke is more effective

With one who has understanding

Than a hundred beatings

With a fool.

¹¹Surely rebellion invites trouble,

And a cruel emissary will be sent against it.

¹²May a bereaved bear meet a man

Rather than that a fool in his stupidity should meet him.

¹³As for him who requites evil for good,

Evil will not retreat from his house.

¹⁴The beginning of strife is like when one lets water escape,

So abandon the quarrel before it becomes heated.

¹⁵He who justifies a wicked man,

And he who condemns a righteous man

Are both an abomination to the Lord.

¹⁶Why, then, is there a payment in a fool's hand to buy wisdom

When he has no heart to receive it?

¹⁷A friend shows love at all times,

And a brother is born for adversity.

¹⁸A weak-minded man strikes a deal

And offers security in the presence of his neighbour.

¹⁹He who loves transgression

Loves a quarrel,

And he who has a high door

Courts disaster.

²⁰He who is of a perverse heart

Will not find good,

And he who is subversive with his tongue

Will fall into evil.

²¹If one begets a fool,

It will be sorrow for him,

And the father of an irreverent son

Does not have joy.

²²A joyful heart brings good healing,

But a dejected spirit parches the human frame.

²³A wicked man takes a bribe out of the lap

To pervert the course of justice.

²⁴Wisdom is in prospect to him who understands,

But the eyes of a fool are fixed on the end of the earth.

²⁵A foolish son is a frustration to his father

And an exasperation to her who gave birth to him.

²⁶It is not right at all to punish the righteous,

Or to beat the noble-minded for their uprightness.

²⁷He who possesses knowledge is sparing with his speeches,

And a man of understanding is of a highly prized spirit.

²⁸Even a fool who is silent

Is considered wise,

And he who seals his lips,

Astute.