Proverbs 14:1–9
14 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,
aBut he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.
3 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,
bBut the lips of the wise will preserve them.
4 Where no oxen are, the 1trough is clean;
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.
5 A cfaithful witness does not lie,
But a false witness will utter dlies.
6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it,
But eknowledge 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 fknowledge.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But the folly of fools is deceit.
But among the upright there is favor.
Proverbs 14:1–9 — The New International Version (NIV)
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.
Proverbs 14:1–9 — English Standard Version (ESV)
1 The wisest of women builds her house,
but folly with her own hands tears it down.
2 Whoever walks in uprightness fears the Lord,
but he who is devious in his ways despises him.
3 By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back,
but the lips of the wise will preserve them.
4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
but 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 a man of understanding.
7 Leave the presence of a fool,
for there you do not meet words of knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,
but the folly of fools is deceiving.
9 Fools mock at the guilt offering,
but the upright enjoy acceptance.
Proverbs 14:1–9 — King James Version (KJV 1900)
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.
Proverbs 14:1–9 — New Living Translation (NLT)
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.
Proverbs 14:1–9 — New Century Version (NCV)
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.
Proverbs 14:1–9 — American Standard Version (ASV)
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.
Proverbs 14:1–9 — 1890 Darby Bible (DARBY)
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.
Proverbs 14:1–9 — GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
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.
Proverbs 14:1–9 — The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
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.
Proverbs 14:1–9 — The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
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.
Proverbs 14:1–9 — The Lexham English Bible (LEB)
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.
Proverbs 14:1–9 — New International Reader’s Version (1998) (NIrV)
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.
Proverbs 14:1–9 — New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (NASB95)
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.