1 Better to eat a dry crust of bread with peace of mind than have a banquet in a house full of trouble.
2 A shrewd servant will gain authority over a master's worthless son and receive a part of the inheritance.
3 Gold and silver are tested by fire, and a person's heart is tested by the Lord.
4 Evil people listen to evil ideas, and liars listen to lies.
5 If you make fun of poor people, you insult the God who made them. You will be punished if you take pleasure in someone's misfortune.
6 Grandparents are proud of their grandchildren, just as children are proud of their parents.
7 Respected people do not tell lies, and fools have nothing worthwhile to say.
8 Some people think a bribe works like magic; they believe it can do anything.
9 If you want people to like you, forgive them when they wrong you. Remembering wrongs can break up a friendship.
10 An intelligent person learns more from one rebuke than a fool learns from being beaten a hundred times.
11 Death will come like a cruel messenger to wicked people who are always stirring up trouble.
12 It is better to meet a mother bear robbed of her cubs than to meet some fool busy with a stupid project.
13 If you repay good with evil, you will never get evil out of your house.
14 The start of an argument is like the first break in a dam; stop it before it goes any further.
15 Condemning the innocent or letting the wicked go—both are hateful to the Lord.
16 It does a fool no good to spend money on an education, because he has no common sense.
17 Friends always show their love. What are relatives for if not to share trouble?
18 Only someone with no sense would promise to be responsible for someone else's debts.
19 To like sin is to like making trouble. If you brag all the time, you are asking for trouble.
20 Anyone who thinks and speaks evil can expect to find nothing good—only disaster.
21 There is nothing but sadness and sorrow for parents whose children do foolish things.
22 Being cheerful keeps you healthy. It is slow death to be gloomy all the time.
23 Corrupt judges accept secret bribes, and then justice is not done.
24 An intelligent person aims at wise action, but a fool starts off in many directions.
25 Foolish children bring grief to their fathers and bitter regrets to their mothers.
26 It is not right to make an innocent person pay a fine; justice is perverted when good people are punished.
27 Those who are sure of themselves do not talk all the time. People who stay calm have real insight. 28 After all, even fools may be thought wise and intelligent if they stay quiet and keep their mouths shut.
Our Thoughts Are Tested by the Lord
1 A dry crust of bread eaten
in peace and quiet
is better than a feast eaten
where everyone argues.
2 A wise slave
will be placed in charge
of a no-good child,
and that slave will be given
the same inheritance
that each child receives.
3 Silver and gold are tested
by flames of fire;
our thoughts are tested
by the Lord.
4 Troublemakers listen
to troublemakers,
and liars listen to liars.
5 By insulting the poor,
you insult your Creator.
You will be punished
if you make fun
of someone in trouble.
6 Grandparents are proud
of their grandchildren,
and children should be proud
of their parents.
7 It sounds strange for a fool
to talk sensibly,
but it's even worse
for a ruler to tell lies.
8 A bribe works miracles
like a magic charm
that brings good luck.
9 You will keep your friends
if you forgive them,
but you will lose your friends
if you keep talking about
what they did wrong.
10 A sensible person
accepts correction,
but you can't beat sense
into a fool.
11 Cruel people want to rebel,
and so vicious attackers
will be sent against them.
12 A bear robbed of her cubs
is far less dangerous
than a stubborn fool.
13 You will always have trouble
if you are mean to those
who are good to you.
14 The start of an argument
is like a water leak—
so stop it before
real trouble breaks out.
15 The Lord doesn't like those
who defend the guilty
or condemn the innocent.
16 Why should fools have money
for an education
when they refuse to learn?
17 A friend is there to help,
in any situation,
and relatives are born
to share our troubles.
18 It's stupid to guarantee
someone else's loan.
19 The wicked and the proud
love trouble and keep begging
to be hurt.
20 Dishonesty does you no good,
and telling lies
will get you in trouble.
21 It's never pleasant
to be the parent of a fool
and have nothing but pain.
22 If you are cheerful,
you feel good;
if you are sad,
you hurt all over.
23 Crooks accept secret bribes
to keep justice
from being done.
24 Anyone with wisdom knows
what makes good sense,
but fools can never
make up their minds.
25 Foolish children bring sorrow
and pain to their parents.
26 It isn't fair
to punish the innocent
and those who do right.
27 It makes a lot of sense
to be a person of few words
and to stay calm.
28 Even fools seem smart
when they are quiet.