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17 Better is a dry morsel with quiet
    than a house full of feasting with strife.
A slave who deals wisely will rule over a child who acts shamefully,
    and will share the inheritance as one of the family.
The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
    but the Lord tests the heart.
An evildoer listens to wicked lips;
    and a liar gives heed to a mischievous tongue.
Those who mock the poor insult their Maker;
    those who are glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
    and the glory of children is their parents.
Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;
    still less is false speech to a ruler.[a]
A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of those who give it;
    wherever they turn they prosper.
One who forgives an affront fosters friendship,
    but one who dwells on disputes will alienate a friend.
10 A rebuke strikes deeper into a discerning person
    than a hundred blows into a fool.
11 Evil people seek only rebellion,
    but a cruel messenger will be sent against them.
12 Better to meet a she-bear robbed of its cubs
    than to confront a fool immersed in folly.
13 Evil will not depart from the house
    of one who returns evil for good.
14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water;
    so stop before the quarrel breaks out.
15 One who justifies the wicked and one who condemns the righteous
    are both alike an abomination to the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 17:7 Or a noble person

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