Better is a dry morsel with quietness Than a house of feasting filled with strife. A wise servant may rule over shameful children And share inheritance among the family. Fire refines the silver, furnace gold, But the Lord will try the human heart. One who covers wrong seeks love; One who repeats it separates friends. A friend loves at all times; A brother is born for adversity. A merry heart works like good medicine; A broken spirit dries the bones. Beginning strife is opening floodgates; Leave the quarrel before it overflows. Even a fool seems wise while keeping silence; Closed lips can look like understanding. Acquitting wickedness and condemning justice Are both abomination to the Lord.