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Contrast of 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 One who mocks the ^(C1)poor taunts his Maker;
One who ^(C2)rejoices at disaster will not go unpunished.

^6 (C1)Grandchildren are the crown of the old,
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 One who ^(C1)conceals an offense seeks love,
But one who repeats a matter ^(C2)separates close friends.

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

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

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

¹³ One 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 One who ^(C1)justifies the wicked and one who condemns the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.

¹⁶ Why is there money 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 person lacking in ^(F1)sense ^(C1)shakes hands
And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.

¹⁹ One who ^(C1)loves wrongdoing loves strife;
One who ^(C2)makes his doorway high seeks destruction.

²⁰ One who has a crooked ^(F1)mind ^(C1)finds nothing good,
And one who is ^(F2)(C2)corrupted in his language falls into evil.

²¹ He who ^(C1)fathers 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 person accepts a ^(C1)bribe ^(F1)from an inside pocket
To ^(C2)pervert the ways of justice.

²⁴ Wisdom is in the presence of 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 gave birth to him.

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

²⁷ One who ^(C1)withholds his words ^(F1)has knowledge,
And one who has a ^(C2)cool spirit is a person of understanding.

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