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14 Every wise woman buildeth her house;
But [a]the foolish plucketh it down with her own hands.
He that walketh in his uprightness feareth Jehovah;
But he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.
In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his pride;
But the lips of the wise shall preserve them.
Where no oxen are, the crib is clean;
But much increase is by the strength of the ox.
A faithful witness will not lie;
But a false witness [b]uttereth lies.
A scoffer seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not;
But knowledge is easy unto him that hath understanding.
[c]Go into the presence of a foolish man,
And thou shalt not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.
The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way;
But the folly of fools is deceit.
[d]A trespass-offering mocketh fools;
But among the upright there is [e]good will.
10 The heart knoweth its own bitterness;
And a stranger doth not intermeddle with its joy.
11 The house of the wicked shall be overthrown;
But the tent of the upright shall flourish.
12 There is a way which [f]seemeth right unto a man;
But the end thereof are the ways of death.
13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful;
And the end of mirth is heaviness.
14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways;
And a good man shall be satisfied from himself.
15 The simple believeth every word;
But the prudent man looketh well to his going.
16 A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil;
But the fool beareth himself insolently, and is confident.
17 He that is soon angry will deal foolishly;
And a man of wicked devices is hated.
18 The simple inherit folly;
But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19 The evil bow down before the good;
And the wicked, at the gates of the righteous.
20 The poor is hated even of his own neighbor;
But the rich hath many friends.
21 He that despiseth his neighbor sinneth;
But he that hath pity on the poor, happy is he.
22 [g]Do they not err that devise evil?
But mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.
23 In all labor there is profit;
But the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.
24 [h]The crown of the wise is their riches;
But the folly of fools is only folly.
25 A true witness delivereth souls;
But he that [i]uttereth lies causeth deceit.
26 In the fear of Jehovah is strong confidence;
And [j]his children shall have a place of refuge.
27 The fear of Jehovah is a fountain of life,
That one may depart from the snares of death.
28 In the multitude of people is the king’s glory;
But in the want of people is the destruction of the prince.
29 He that is slow to anger is of great understanding;
But he that is hasty of spirit [k]exalteth folly.
30 A tranquil heart is the life of the flesh;
But [l]envy is the rottenness of the bones.
31 He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker;
But he that hath mercy on the needy honoreth him.
32 The wicked is thrust down in his [m]evil-doing;
But the righteous hath a refuge in his death.
33 Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding;
[n]But that which is in the inward part of fools is made known.
34 Righteousness exalteth a nation;
But sin is a reproach to [o]any people.
35 The king’s favor is toward a servant that dealeth wisely;
But his wrath will be against him that [p]causeth shame.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:1 Hebrew folly.
  2. Proverbs 14:5 Hebrew breatheth out.
  3. Proverbs 14:7 Or, Go from . . . For thou wilt not etc.
  4. Proverbs 14:9 Or, Fools make a mock at sin
  5. Proverbs 14:9 Or, the favor of God
  6. Proverbs 14:12 Or, is straight before
  7. Proverbs 14:22 Or, Shall they not go astray
  8. Proverbs 14:24 Or, Their riches is a crown unto the wise
  9. Proverbs 14:25 Hebrew breatheth out.
  10. Proverbs 14:26 Or, the children of him that hath it
  11. Proverbs 14:29 Or, carrieth away
  12. Proverbs 14:30 Or, jealousy
  13. Proverbs 14:32 Or, calamity
  14. Proverbs 14:33 Or, And in the midst of fools it maketh itself known
  15. Proverbs 14:34 Hebrew peoples.
  16. Proverbs 14:35 Or, doeth shamefully

14 The wise woman builds her house,(A)
    but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.

Whoever fears the Lord walks uprightly,
    but those who despise him are devious in their ways.

A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride,(B)
    but the lips of the wise protect them.(C)

Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty,
    but from the strength of an ox(D) come abundant harvests.

An honest witness does not deceive,
    but a false witness pours out lies.(E)

The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none,
    but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.(F)

Stay away from a fool,
    for you will not find knowledge on their lips.

The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways,(G)
    but the folly of fools is deception.(H)

Fools mock at making amends for sin,
    but goodwill is found among the upright.

10 Each heart knows its own bitterness,
    and no one else can share its joy.

11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed,(I)
    but the tent of the upright will flourish.(J)

12 There is a way that appears to be right,(K)
    but in the end it leads to death.(L)

13 Even in laughter(M) the heart may ache,
    and rejoicing may end in grief.

14 The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways,(N)
    and the good rewarded for theirs.(O)

15 The simple believe anything,
    but the prudent give thought to their steps.(P)

16 The wise fear the Lord and shun evil,(Q)
    but a fool(R) is hotheaded and yet feels secure.

17 A quick-tempered person(S) does foolish things,(T)
    and the one who devises evil schemes is hated.(U)

18 The simple inherit folly,
    but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

19 Evildoers will bow down in the presence of the good,
    and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.(V)

20 The poor are shunned even by their neighbors,
    but the rich have many friends.(W)

21 It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor,(X)
    but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.(Y)

22 Do not those who plot evil go astray?(Z)
    But those who plan what is good find[a] love and faithfulness.

23 All hard work brings a profit,
    but mere talk leads only to poverty.

24 The wealth of the wise is their crown,
    but the folly of fools yields folly.(AA)

25 A truthful witness saves lives,
    but a false witness is deceitful.(AB)

26 Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress,(AC)
    and for their children it will be a refuge.(AD)

27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,(AE)
    turning a person from the snares of death.(AF)

28 A large population is a king’s glory,
    but without subjects a prince is ruined.(AG)

29 Whoever is patient has great understanding,(AH)
    but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.(AI)

30 A heart at peace gives life to the body,
    but envy rots the bones.(AJ)

31 Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,(AK)
    but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.(AL)

32 When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down,(AM)
    but even in death the righteous seek refuge in God.(AN)

33 Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning(AO)
    and even among fools she lets herself be known.[b]

34 Righteousness exalts a nation,(AP)
    but sin condemns any people.

35 A king delights in a wise servant,
    but a shameful servant arouses his fury.(AQ)

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:22 Or show
  2. Proverbs 14:33 Hebrew; Septuagint and Syriac discerning / but in the heart of fools she is not known