Proverbs 14

Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked

1 The ^awise woman builds her house,
But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.
2 One who ^bwalks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
But one who is ^cdevious in his ways despises Him.
3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back,
But ^dthe lips of the wise will protect them.
4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean;
But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.
5 A ^etrustworthy witness will not lie,
But a ^ffalse witness ^gdeclares lies.
6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none,
But knowledge is easy for one who has understanding.
7 Leave the ^hpresence 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 ^kthe foolishness of fools is deceit.
9 Fools mock at ▼

▼Lit guilt

sin,
But ^mamong the upright there is ▼

▼Or the favor of God

goodwill.
10 The heart knows its own ^obitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.
11 The ^phouse of the wicked will be destroyed,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There ^qis a way which seems right to a person,
But its ^rend is the way of death.
13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
And the ^send of joy may be grief.
14 One with a wayward heart will have his ^tfill of his own ways,
But a good person will ^ube satisfied ▼

▼Lit from himself

with his.
15 The naive believes everything,
But the sensible person considers his steps.
16 A wise person ▼

▼Lit fears

is cautious and ^xturns away from evil,
But a fool is arrogant and careless.
17 A quick-tempered person acts foolishly,
And a person of evil devices is hated.
18 The naive inherit foolishness,
But the sensible are crowned with knowledge.
19 The ^yevil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 The ^zpoor is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.
21 One who ^aadespises his neighbor sins,
But ^abone who is gracious to the ▼

▼Or afflicted

poor is blessed.
22 Will they who ^addevise evil not go astray?
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 ^afcrown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is simply foolishness.
25 A truthful witness saves lives,
But one who ^agdeclares lies is ▼

▼Lit a fraud

deceitful.
26 In ▼

▼Or reverence for

, ^ajthe fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And ▼

▼Or His

his children will have refuge.
27 ▼

▼Or Reverence for

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
By which one may avoid the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king’s glory,
But in the scarcity of people is a prince’s ruin.
29 One who is ^amslow to anger has great understanding;
But one who is ▼

▼Lit short of spirit

quick-tempered exalts foolishness.
30 A ^aotranquil heart is life to the body,
But jealousy is ^aprottenness to the bones.
31 One ^aqwho oppresses the poor taunts ^arhis Maker,
But one who is gracious to the needy honors Him.
32 The wicked is ^asthrust down by his own wrongdoing,
But the ^atrighteous has a refuge when he dies.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding,
But among 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 ^auservant who acts wisely,
But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.