• 1 Better is a dry morsel and tranquility with it Than a house full of feasting with strife.
  • 2 A slave who acts insightfully will rule over a son who acts shamefully, And will share in the inheritance among brothers.
  • 3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But Yahweh tests hearts.
  • 4 An evildoer gives heed to lips of wickedness; A liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.
  • 5 He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who is glad at disaster will not go unpunished.
  • 6 Grandchildren are the crown of old men, And the beauty of sons is their fathers.
  • 7 Excellent lips are not fitting for a wicked fool, Even less are lying lips for a noble man.
  • 8 A bribe is a charm in the eyes of its owner; Wherever he turns, he prospers.
  • 9 He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates close companions.
  • 10 A rebuke goes deeper into one who understands 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 man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, Rather than a fool in his folly.
  • 13 He who returns evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house.
  • 14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water, So abandon the dispute before it breaks out.
  • 15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to Yahweh.
  • 16 Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to acquire wisdom, When he has no heart of wisdom?
  • 17 A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.
  • 18 A man lacking a heart of wisdom strikes his hands in pledge And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.
  • 19 He who loves transgression loves quarreling; He who makes his doorway high seeks destruction.
  • 20 He who has a crooked heart finds no good, And he who is perverted in his tongue falls into evil.
  • 21 He who begets a fool does so to his grief, And the father of a wicked fool is not glad.
  • 22 A glad heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.
  • 23 A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom To thrust aside the paths of justice.
  • 24 Wisdom is in the presence of the one who understands, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
  • 25 A foolish son is a vexation to his father And bitterness to her who gave birth to him.
  • 26 It is also not good to punish the righteous, Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
  • 27 He who holds back his words has knowledge, And he who has a cool spirit is a man of discernment.
  • 28 Even an ignorant fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered understanding.