Proverbs 17:7-15

⁷Excellent speech becometh not a fool; Much less do lying lips a prince.

⁸A bribe is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it; Whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.

⁹He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; But he that harpeth on a matter separateth chief friends.

¹⁰A rebuke entereth deeper into one that hath understanding Than a hundred stripes into a fool.

¹¹An evil man seeketh only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.

¹²Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, Rather than a fool in his folly.

¹³Whoso rewardeth evil for good, Evil shall not depart from his house.

¹⁴The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: Therefore leave off contention, before there is quarrelling.

¹⁵He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to Jehovah.