1 A dry crust eaten in peace is better than a great feast with strife.
2 A wise slave will rule over the master's shameful sons and will share their inheritance.
3 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the LORD tests the heart.
4 Wrongdoers listen to wicked talk; liars pay attention to destructive words.
5 Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those who rejoice at the misfortune of others will be punished.
6 Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children.
7 Eloquent speech is not fitting for a fool; even less are lies fitting for a ruler.
8 A bribe seems to work like magic for those who give it; they succeed in all they do.
9 Disregarding another person's faults preserves love; telling about them separates close friends.
10 A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool.
11 Evil people seek rebellion, but they will be severely punished.
12 It is safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than to confront a fool caught in folly.
13 If you repay evil for good, evil will never leave your house.
14 Beginning a quarrel is like opening a floodgate, so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
15 The LORD despises those who acquit the guilty and condemn the innocent.
16 It is senseless to pay tuition to educate a fool who has no heart for wisdom.
17 A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.
18 It is poor judgment to co-sign a friend's note, to become responsible for a neighbor's debts.
19 Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin; anyone who speaks boastfully* invites disaster.1
20 The crooked heart will not prosper; the twisted tongue tumbles into trouble.
21 It is painful to be the parent of a fool; there is no joy for the father of a rebel.
22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength.
23 The wicked accept secret bribes to pervert justice.
24 Sensible people keep their eyes glued on wisdom, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish child* brings grief to a father and bitterness to a mother.2
26 It is wrong to fine the godly for being good or to punish nobles for being honest!
27 A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered.
28 Even fools are thought to be wise when they keep silent; when they keep their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.
Read Proverbs 18
