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Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

^1 (C1)Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it
Than a house full of ^(F1)feasting with strife.

² A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully,
And will share in the inheritance among brothers.

³ The ^(C1)refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But ^(C2)the LORD tests hearts.

⁴ An ^(C1)evildoer listens to wicked lips;
A ^(F1)liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

⁵ He who mocks the ^(C1)poor taunts his Maker;
He who ^(C2)rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.

^6 (C1)Grandchildren are the crown of old men,
And the ^(C2)glory of sons is their fathers.

^7 (F1)(C1)Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool,
Much less are ^(C2)lying lips to a prince.

⁸ A ^(C1)bribe is a ^(F1)charm in the sight of its owner;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.

⁹ He who ^(C1)conceals a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter ^(C2)separates intimate friends.

¹⁰ A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding
Than a hundred blows into a fool.

¹¹ A rebellious man seeks only evil,
So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

¹² Let a ^(C1)man meet a ^(C2)bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.

¹³ He who ^(C1)returns evil for good,
^(C2)Evil will not depart from his house.

¹⁴ The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
So ^(C1)abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.

¹⁵ He who ^(C1)justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.

¹⁶ Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to ^(C1)buy wisdom,
When ^(F1)he has no sense?

¹⁷ A ^(C1)friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.

¹⁸ A man lacking in ^(F1)sense ^(F2)(C1)pledges
And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.

¹⁹ He who ^(C1)loves transgression loves strife;
He who ^(C2)raises his door seeks destruction.

²⁰ He who has a crooked ^(F1)mind ^(C1)finds no good,
And he who is ^(C2)perverted in his language falls into evil.

²¹ He who ^(C1)sires a fool does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.

²² A ^(C1)joyful heart ^(F1)is good medicine,
But a broken spirit ^(C2)dries up the bones.

²³ A wicked man receives a ^(C1)bribe from the bosom
To ^(C2)pervert the ways of justice.

²⁴ Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding,
But the ^(C1)eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

²⁵ A ^(C1)foolish son is a grief to his father
And ^(C2)bitterness to her who bore him.

²⁶ It is also not good to ^(C1)fine the righteous,
Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.

²⁷ He who ^(C1)restrains his words ^(F1)has knowledge,
And he who has a ^(C2)cool spirit is a man of understanding.

²⁸ Even a fool, when he ^(C1)keeps silent, is considered wise;
When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.