Pro 14 | NASB1995 | STEP | The wise woman builds her house , But the foolish tears it down with her own hands .

Proverbs 14

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

1 The ^awise woman builds her house,
But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.
2 He who ^bwalks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
But he who is ^cdevious in his ways despises Him.
3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod ^{▼▼ Lit of pride}for his back,
But ^ethe lips of the wise will protect them.
4 Where no oxen are, the manger is clean,
But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.
5 A ^ftrustworthy witness will not lie,
But a ^gfalse witness ^{▼▼ Lit breathes out
,} ⁱutters lies.
6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none,
But knowledge is easy to one who has understanding.
7 Leave the ^jpresence of a fool,
Or you will not ^{▼▼ Lit know}discern ^{▼▼ Lit lips}words of knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,
But ^mthe foolishness of fools is deceit.
9 Fools mock at ^{▼▼ Lit guilt}sin,
But ^oamong the upright there is ^{▼▼ Or the favor of God}good will.
10 The heart knows its own ^qbitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.
11 The ^rhouse of the wicked will be destroyed,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There ^sis a way which seems right to a man,
But its ^tend is the way of death.
13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
And the ^uend of joy may be grief.
14 The backslider in heart will have his ^vfill of his own ways,
But a good man will ^w be satisfied ^{▼▼ Lit from himself}with his.
15 The ^{▼▼ Lit simple}naive believes everything,
But the sensible man considers his steps.
16 A wise man ^{▼▼ Lit fears}is cautious and ^aaturns away from evil,
But a fool is arrogant and careless.
17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
And a man of evil devices is hated.
18 The ^{▼▼ Lit simple}naive inherit foolishness,
But the sensible are crowned with knowledge.
19 The ^acevil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 The ^adpoor is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.
21 He who ^aedespises his neighbor sins,
But ^afhappy is he who is gracious to the ^{▼▼ Or afflicted}poor.
22 Will they not go astray who ^ahdevise evil?
But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.
23 In all labor there is profit,
But ^{▼▼ Lit word of lips}mere talk leads only to poverty.
24 The ^ajcrown of the wise is their riches,
But the folly of fools is foolishness.
25 A truthful witness saves lives,
But he who ^{▼▼ Lit breathes out
,} ^alutters lies is ^{▼▼ Lit treachery}treacherous.
26 In the ^{▼▼ Or reverence
,} ^aofear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And ^{▼▼ Or His}his children will have refuge.
27 The ^{▼▼ Or reverence}fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
That one may avoid the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king’s glory,
But in the dearth of people is a prince’s ruin.
29 He who is ^arslow to anger has great understanding,
But he who is ^{▼▼ Lit short of spirit}quick-tempered exalts folly.
30 A ^attranquil heart is life to the body,
But passion is ^aurottenness to the bones.
31 He ^avwho oppresses the poor taunts ^awhis Maker,
But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.
32 The wicked is ^axthrust down by his ^{▼▼ Or calamity}wrongdoing,
But the ^azrighteous has a refuge when he dies.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding,
But in the ^{▼▼ Lit inward part}hearts of fools it is made known.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.
35 The king’s favor is toward a ^bbservant who acts wisely,
But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.