15  He who ^hjustifies the wicked and he who ⁱcondemns the righteous

are both alike an abomination to the Lord.

16  Why should a fool have money in his hand ^jto buy wisdom

when he has no sense?

17  ^kA friend loves at all times,

and a brother is born for adversity.

18  One who lacks sense gives a pledge

and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.

19  Whoever loves transgression loves strife;

he who ^lmakes his door high seeks destruction.

20  ^mA man of crooked heart does not discover good,

and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.

21  He who ⁿsires a fool gets himself sorrow,

and the father of a fool has no joy.

22  ^oA joyful heart is good medicine,

but a crushed spirit ^pdries up the bones.

23  The wicked accepts ^qa bribe in secret¹

to ^rpervert the ways of justice.

24  ^sThe discerning sets his face toward wisdom,

but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

25  ⁿA foolish son is a grief to his father

^tand bitterness to ^uher who bore him.

26  ^vTo impose a fine on a righteous man is not good,

nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.

27  Whoever ^wrestrains his words has knowledge,

and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

28  Even a fool ^xwho keeps silent is considered wise;

when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.