1Better is a dry piece of bread and rest with it, Than a house filled with the offerings of strife.

2A wise servant rules over a son who causes shame, And shares an inheritance among the brothers.

3A refining pot is for silver and a furnace for gold, But יהוה tries the hearts.

4An evil-doer gives heed to wicked lips; A liar gives ear to a tongue of desire.

5He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who rejoices at calamity does not go unpunished.

6Children’s children are the crown of old men, And the adornment of children is their fathers.

7Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool, Much less lying lips for a noble.

8A bribe is a stone of favour in the eyes of its owner; Wherever he turns, he prospers.

9He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends.

10Reproof enters deeper into a wise man Than a hundred blows on a fool.

11An evil one seeks only rebellion, So a cruel messenger is sent against him.

12Let a bereaved bear meet a man, Rather than a fool in his folly.

13Whoever rewards evil for good, Evil does not leave his house.

14The beginning of strife is like releasing water; Therefore stop fighting before it breaks out.

15He who declares the wrong right, And he who condemns the righteous, Both of them are an abomination to יהוה.

16Why is this – a price in the hand Of a fool to buy wisdom, When there is no heart?

17A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.

18A man lacking heart shakes hands in a pledge, He becomes a guarantor for his friend.

19He who loves transgression loves strife, He who exalts his door seeks destruction.

20He who has a crooked heart finds no good, And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil.

21He who brings forth a fool has sorrow for it, And the father of a fool has no joy.

22A rejoicing heart causes good healing, But a stricken spirit dries the bones.

23One who is wrong accepts a bribe behind the back To pervert the paths of right-ruling.

24Wisdom is before the face of the understanding one, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

25A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her who bore him.

26It is also not good to punish the righteous one, To smite noble ones for straightness.

27He who has knowledge spares his words, And a man of understanding is cool of spirit.

28Even a fool keeping silence is regarded as wise, As understanding, when he closes his lips.