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v1
Better a dry morsel and quiet with it than a house filled with feasts of strife.
v2
A slave who deals wisely will rule over a child who acts shamefully, and in the midst of brothers he will share his inheritance.
v3
A crucible is for the silver, and a furnace is for the gold, but Yahweh will test hearts.
v4
He who does evil listens to lips of wickedness, and the liar gives heed to the tongue of mischief.
v5
He who mocks the poor insults him who made him; he who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.
v6
The crown of the elderly are grandchildren, ^[Literally “sons of sons”] and the glory of children is their fathers.
v7
Fine speech ^[Literally “A lip of fine_ness_”] is not becoming a fool, still less ^[Literally “only for”] is false speech ^[Literally “lip of deceit”] for a ruler.
v8
The bribe is a stone of magic in the eyes of its owner; ^[Or “master”] everywhere ^[Literally “to all which”] he will turn, he will prosper.
v9
He who forgives an affront fosters love, but he who waits on a matter will alienate a friend.
v10
A rebuke strikes him who understands deeper than one hundred blows to a fool.
v11
An evil person will seek only rebellion, and a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
v12
May a man meet a she-bear robbed of offspring and not a fool in his folly.
v13
For he who returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house.
v14
Like the release of water is the beginning of strife; before it breaks out, stop the quarrel.
v15
He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, the two of them are both abominations of Yahweh.
v16
Why is this? A price in the hand of a fool, in order to buy wisdom where ^[Hebrew “and”] there is no sense. ^[Literally “heart”]
v17
The friend loves at all times ^[Hebrew “time”], but a brother is born for adversity.
v18
A person who lacks sense ^[Literally “heart”] pledges; ^[Literally “pledges a hand”] he becomes security before his neighbor.
v19
He who loves transgression loves strife; he who builds his high thresholds seeks destruction.
v20
He who is crooked of heart ^[Or “mind”] will not find goodness, and he who is perverse, by his tongue he will fall into calamity.
v21
He who begets a fool, there is trouble for him; the father of a fool will not rejoice.
v22
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a downcast spirit will dry out bones.
v23
The wicked will accept a bribe from the lap, in order to pervert the ways of justice.
v24
He who understands sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool, to the end of the earth. ^[Or “land”]
v25
A grief to his father is the child of a fool, and bitterness to her who bore him.
v26
Also, imposing a fine on the righteous is not good, nor to flog nobles for uprightness.
v27
He who spares his sayings knows knowledge, and a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
v28
Even a fool who keeps silent shall be considered wise; ^[Literally “wise, he shall be considered”] he who closes his lips is intelligent.