17:1  Better is a dry morsel with quietness,
Than a house full of feastingwith strife.

17:2  A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame,
And will share an inheritance among the brothers.

17:3  The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But the LORD tests the hearts.

17:4  An evildoer gives heed to false lips;
A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue.

17:5  He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker;
He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

17:6  Children’s children are the crown of old men,
And the glory of children is their father.

17:7  Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool,
Much less lying lips to a prince.

17:8  A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.

17:9  He who covers a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter separates friends.

17:10  Rebuke is more effective for a wise man
Than a hundred blows on a fool.

17:11  An evil man seeks only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

17:12  Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.

17:13  Whoever rewards evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.

17:14  The beginning of strife is like releasing water;
Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.

17:15  He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.

17:16  Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom,
Since he has no heart for it?

17:17  A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.

17:18  A man devoid of understanding shakes hands in a pledge,
And becomes surety for his friend.

17:19  He who loves transgression loves strife,
And he who exalts his gate seeks destruction.

17:20  He who has a deceitful heart finds no good,
And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil.

17:21  He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.

17:22  A merry heart does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones.

17:23  A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back
To pervert the ways of justice.

17:24  Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding,
But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

17:25  A foolish son is a grief to his father,
And bitterness to her who bore him.

17:26  Also, to punish the righteous is not good,
Nor to strike princes for their uprightness.

17:27  He who has knowledge spares his words,
And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.

17:28  Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace;
When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.