PROVERBS 17:18-28

¹⁸A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his neighbour.

¹⁹He loveth transgression that loveth strife: he that raiseth high his gate seeketh destruction.

²⁰He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.

²¹He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy.

²²A merry heart is a good medicine: but a broken spirit drieth up the bones.

²³A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom, to pervert the ways of judgment.

²⁴Wisdom is before the face of him that hath understanding: but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.

²⁵A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him.

²⁶Also to punish the righteous is not good, nor to smite the noble for their uprightness.

²⁷He that spareth his words hath knowledge: and he that is of a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

²⁸Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: when he shutteth his lips, he is esteemed as prudent.