Proverbs 14:1–9

1 The wise woman builds her house,

but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.

2 Whoever fears the Lord walks uprightly,

but those who despise him are devious in their ways.

3 A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride,

but the lips of the wise protect them.

4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty,

but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests.

5 An honest witness does not deceive,

but a false witness pours out lies.

6 The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none,

but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.

7 Stay away from a fool,

for you will not find knowledge on their lips.

8 The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways,

but the folly of fools is deception.

9 Fools mock at making amends for sin,

but goodwill is found among the upright.

1 Every wise woman buildeth her house:

But the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

2 He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the Lord:

But he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.

3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride:

But the lips of the wise shall preserve them.

4 Where no oxen are, the crib is clean:

But much increase is by the strength of the ox.

5 A faithful witness will not lie:

But a false witness will utter lies.

6 A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not:

But knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.

7 Go from the presence of a foolish man,

When thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.

8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way:

But the folly of fools is deceit.

9 Fools make a mock at sin:

But among the righteous there is favour.

1 A wise woman builds her home,

but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.

2 Those who follow the right path fear the Lord;

those who take the wrong path despise him.

3 A fool’s proud talk becomes a rod that beats him,

but the words of the wise keep them safe.

4 Without oxen a stable stays clean,

but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.

5 An honest witness does not lie;

a false witness breathes lies.

6 A mocker seeks wisdom and never finds it,

but knowledge comes easily to those with understanding.

7 Stay away from fools,

for you won’t find knowledge on their lips.

8 The prudent understand where they are going,

but fools deceive themselves.

9 Fools make fun of guilt,

but the godly acknowledge it and seek reconciliation.

1 The wise woman builds her house,

But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.

2 He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,

But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.

3 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,

But the lips of the wise will preserve them.

4 Where no oxen are, the trough is clean;

But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.

5 A faithful witness does not lie,

But a false witness will utter lies.

6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it,

But knowledge is easy to him who understands.

7 Go from the presence of a foolish man,

When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.

8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,

But the folly of fools is deceit.

9 Fools mock at sin,

But among the upright there is favor.

1 A wise woman strengthens her family,

but a foolish woman destroys hers by what she does.

2 People who live good lives respect the Lord,

but those who live evil lives don’t.

3 Fools will be punished for their proud words,

but the words of the wise will protect them.

4 When there are no oxen, no food is in the barn.

But with a strong ox, much grain can be grown.

5 A truthful witness does not lie,

but a false witness tells nothing but lies.

6 Those who make fun of wisdom look for it and do not find it,

but knowledge comes easily to those with understanding.

7 Stay away from fools,

because they can’t teach you anything.

8 A wise person will understand what to do,

but a foolish person is dishonest.

9 Fools don’t care if they sin,

but honest people work at being right.

1 Every wise woman buildeth her house;

But the foolish plucketh it down with her own hands.

2 He that walketh in his uprightness feareth Jehovah;

But he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.

3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his pride;

But the lips of the wise shall preserve them.

4 Where no oxen are, the crib is clean;

But much increase is by the strength of the ox.

5 A faithful witness will not lie;

But a false witness uttereth lies.

6 A scoffer seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not;

But knowledge is easy unto him that hath understanding.

7 Go into the presence of a foolish man,

And thou shalt not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.

8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way;

But the folly of fools is deceit.

9 A trespass-offering mocketh fools;

But among the upright there is good will.

1 The wisdom of women buildeth their house; but folly plucketh it down with her hands.

2 He that walketh in his uprightness feareth Jehovah; but he that is perverted in his ways despiseth him.

3 In the fool’s mouth is a rod of pride; but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.

4 Where no oxen are, the crib is clean; but much increase is by the strength of the ox.

5 A faithful witness will not lie; but a false witness uttereth lies.

6 A scorner seeketh wisdom, and there is none for him; but knowledge is easy unto the intelligent.

7 Go from the presence of a foolish man, in whom thou perceivest not the lips of knowledge.

8 The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way; but the folly of the foolish is deceit.

9 Fools make a mock at trespass; but for the upright there is favour.

1 The wisest of women builds up her home, 

but a stupid one tears it down with her own hands. 

2 Whoever lives right fears the Lord, 

but a person who is devious in his ways despises him. 

3 Because of a stubborn fool’s words a whip is lifted against him, 

but wise people are protected by their speech. 

4 Where there are no cattle, the feeding trough is empty, 

but the strength of an ox produces plentiful harvests. 

5 A trustworthy witness does not lie, 

but a dishonest witness breathes lies. 

6 A mocker searches for wisdom without finding it, 

but knowledge comes easily to a person who has understanding. 

7 Stay away from a fool, 

because you will not receive knowledge from his lips. 

8 The wisdom of a sensible person guides his way of life, 

but the stupidity of fools misleads them. 

9 Stubborn fools make fun of guilt, 

but there is forgiveness among decent people. 

1 Every wise woman builds her house,

but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.

2 Whoever lives with integrity fears the Lord,

but the one who is devious in his ways despises Him.

3 The proud speech of a fool brings a rod of discipline,

but the lips of the wise protect them.

4 Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is empty,

but an abundant harvest comes

through the strength of an ox.

5 An honest witness does not deceive,

but a dishonest witness utters lies.

6 A mocker seeks wisdom and doesn’t find it,

but knowledge comes easily to the perceptive.

7 Stay away from a foolish man;

you will gain no knowledge from his speech.

8 The sensible man’s wisdom is to consider his way,

but the stupidity of fools deceives them.

9 Fools mock at making restitution,

but there is goodwill among the upright.

1 The wise woman builds her house,

but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.

2 Those who walk uprightly fear the Lord,

but one who is devious in conduct despises him.

3 The talk of fools is a rod for their backs,

but the lips of the wise preserve them.

4 Where there are no oxen, there is no grain;

abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

5 A faithful witness does not lie,

but a false witness breathes out lies.

6 A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain,

but knowledge is easy for one who understands.

7 Leave the presence of a fool,

for there you do not find words of knowledge.

8 It is the wisdom of the clever to understand where they go,

but the folly of fools misleads.

9 Fools mock at the guilt offering,

but the upright enjoy God’s favor.

1 The wisest of women builds her house,

but the foolish tears it down with her hands.

2 He who walks in uprightness fears Yahweh,

but he who is devious in his ways displeases him.

3 In the mouth of a fool is the rod of pride,

but the lips of the wise preserve them.

4 When there are no oxen the manger is empty,

but an abundance of crops comes by the strength of an ox.

5 A faithful witness does not lie,

but he who breathes out falsehood is a witness of deceit.

6 A scoffer seeks wisdom, but there is none,

but knowledge comes easily to him who understands.

7 Leave the presence of a foolish man,

for you will not come to know words of knowledge.

8 The wisdom of the clever is understanding his ways,

but the folly of fools is deceit.

9 Fools mock the guilt offering,

but among the upright, it is favorable.

1 A wise woman builds her house.

But a foolish woman tears hers down with her own hands.

2 An honest person has respect for the Lord.

But a person whose paths are crooked hates him.

3 Foolish people are punished for what they say.

But the things wise people say keep them safe.

4 Where there are no oxen, the feed box is empty.

But a strong ox brings in a great harvest.

5 An honest witness does not lie.

But a dishonest witness pours out lies.

6 Those who make fun of others look for wisdom and don’t find it.

But knowledge comes easily to those who understand what is right.

7 Stay away from a foolish man.

You won’t find knowledge in what he says.

8 People are wise and understanding when they think about the way they live.

But people are foolish when their foolish ways trick them.

9 Foolish people laugh at making things right when they sin.

But honest people try to do the right thing.

1 The wise woman builds her house,

But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.

2 He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,

But he who is devious in his ways despises Him.

3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back,

But the 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 trustworthy witness will not lie,

But a false witness utters lies.

6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none,

But knowledge is easy to one who has understanding.

7 Leave the presence of a fool,

Or you will not discern words of knowledge.

8 The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,

But the foolishness of fools is deceit.

9 Fools mock at sin,

But among the upright there is good will.