Proverbs 14

CHAPTER 14

¹The ^1awise woman builds her house,

But the woman of folly tears it down with her own hands.

²He who ^awalks in his uprightness fears Yahweh,

But he who is ^bdevious in his ways despises Him.

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

But ^athe lips of the wise will keep them.

⁴Where no oxen are, the manger is clean,

But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.

⁵A ^afaithful witness will not lie,

But a ^bfalse witness ^cbreathes out lies.

⁶A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none,

But knowledge is easy to one who has understanding.

⁷Leave the ^apresence of a fool,

As you have not known lips of knowledge there.

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

But ^athe folly of fools is deceit.

⁹Ignorant fools scoff at guilt,

But ^aamong the upright there is favor.

¹⁰The heart knows its own ^abitterness,

And a stranger does not share its gladness.

¹¹The ^ahouse of the wicked will be destroyed,

But the tent of the upright will flourish.

¹²There ^ais a way which seems right to a man,

But its ^bend is the way of death.

¹³Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,

And the ^aend of joy may be grief.

¹⁴The one who turns back in his heart will be satisfied with his ^aways,

But a good man will ^bbe satisfied ¹with his.

¹⁵The simple believes everything,

But the prudent one discerns his steps.

¹⁶A wise man fears and ^aturns away from evil,

But a fool gets angry and feels secure.

¹⁷A quick-tempered man acts in folly,

And a man of evil schemes is hated.

¹⁸The simple inherit folly,

But the prudent are ¹crowned with knowledge.

¹⁹The ^aevil will bow down before the good,

And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

²⁰The ^apoor is hated even by his neighbor,

But those who love the rich are many.

²¹He who ^adespises his neighbor sins,

But how ^bblessed is he who is gracious to the ¹poor.

²²Will they not wander in error who ^adevise evil?

But lovingkindness and truth will be to those who devise good.

²³In all painful labor there is profit,

But mere words from the lips lead only to want.

²⁴The ^acrown of the wise is their riches,

But the folly of fools is folly.

²⁵A truthful witness delivers souls,

But he who ^abreathes out lies is deceitful.

²⁶In the ^1afear of Yahweh there is strong security,

And ²his children will have refuge.

²⁷The ¹fear of Yahweh is a fountain of life,

To turn aside from the snares of death.

²⁸In a multitude of people is a king’s splendor,

But in the dearth of people is a prince’s ruin.

²⁹He who is ^aslow to anger has great discernment,

But he who is ¹quick-tempered raises up folly.

³⁰A ^1atranquil heart is life to the body,

But jealousy is ^brottenness to the bones.

³¹He ^awho oppresses the poor reproaches ^bhis Maker,

But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.

³²The wicked is ^athrust down by his own evil,

But the ^brighteous takes refuge even in his death.

³³Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding,

But in the midst of fools it is merely made known.

³⁴Righteousness exalts a nation,

But sin is a disgrace to any people.

³⁵The king’s favor is toward a ^aservant who acts insightfully,

But his fury is toward him who acts shamefully.