17:1 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.
17:2 A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son and will share the inheritance as one of the family.
17:3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.
17:4 A wicked person listens to deceitful lips; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.
17:5 Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
17:6 Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.
17:7 Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool - how much worse lying lips to a ruler!
17:8 A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; they think success will come at every turn.
17:9 Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
17:10 A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool.
17:11 Evildoers foster rebellion against God; the messenger of death will be sent against them.
17:12 Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly.
17:13 Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good.
17:14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
17:15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent - the Lord detests them both.
17:16 Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom, when they are not able to understand it?
17:17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
17:18 One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge and puts up security for a neighbor.
17:19 Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin; whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.
17:20 One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.
17:21 To have a fool for a child brings grief; there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.
17:22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
17:23 The wicked accept bribes in secret to pervert the course of justice.
17:24 A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
17:25 A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the mother who bore him.
17:26 If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good, surely to flog honest officials is not right.
17:27 The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.
17:28 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.