< Proverbs 14 >

1 Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish woman plucks it down with her own hands.
Wisdom is building her house, but the foolish woman is pulling it down with her hands.
2 He who walks in his uprightness fears Jehovah, but he who is perverse in his ways despises him.
He who goes on his way in righteousness has before him the fear of the Lord; but he whose ways are twisted gives him no honour.
3 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.
In the mouth of the foolish man is a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will keep them safe.
4 Where no oxen are, the crib is clean, but by the strength of the ox is much increase.
Where there are no oxen, their food-place is clean; but much increase comes through the strength of the ox.
5 A faithful witness will not lie, but a false witness utters lies.
A true witness does not say what is false, but a false witness is breathing out deceit.
6 A scoffer seeks wisdom, and finds it not, but knowledge is easy to him who has understanding.
The hater of authority, searching for wisdom, does not get it; but knowledge comes readily to the open-minded man.
7 Go into the presence of a foolish man, and thou shall not perceive the lips of knowledge.
Go away from the foolish man, for you will not see the lips of knowledge.
8 The wisdom of a prudent man is to understand his way, but the folly of fools is deceit.
The wisdom of the man of good sense makes his way clear; but the unwise behaviour of the foolish is deceit.
9 Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is good will.
In the tents of those hating authority there is error, but in the house of the upright man there is grace.
10 The heart knows its own bitterness, and a stranger does not intermeddle with its joy.
No one has knowledge of a man's grief but himself; and a strange person has no part in his joy.
11 The house of the wicked shall be overthrown, but the tent of the upright shall flourish.
The house of the sinner will be overturned, but the tent of the upright man will do well.
12 There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
There is a way which seems straight before a man, but its end is the ways of death.
13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful, and the end of mirth is heaviness.
Even while laughing the heart may be sad; and after joy comes sorrow.
14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways, and a good man from his own fruits.
He whose heart is turned away will have the reward of his ways in full measure; but a good man will have the reward of his doings.
15 A simple man believes every word, but the prudent man looks well to his going.
The simple man has faith in every word, but the man of good sense gives thought to his footsteps.
16 A wise man fears, and departs from evil, but the fool bears himself insolently, and is confident.
The wise man, fearing, keeps himself from evil; but the foolish man goes on in his pride, with no thought of danger.
17 He who is soon angry will deal foolishly. And a man of wicked devices is hated.
He who is quickly angry will do what is foolish, but the man of good sense will have quiet.
18 The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
Foolish behaviour is the heritage of the simple, but men of good sense are crowned with knowledge.
19 The evil bow down before the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
The knees of the evil are bent before the good; and sinners go down in the dust at the doors of the upright.
20 The poor man is regarded inferior even by his own neighbor, but the rich man has many friends.
The poor man is hated even by his neighbour, but the man of wealth has numbers of friends.
21 He who despises his neighbor sins, but he who has pity on the poor, happy is he.
He who has no respect for his neighbour is a sinner, but he who has pity for the poor is happy.
22 Do they not err who devise evil? But mercy and truth are to those who devise good.
Will not the designers of evil come into error? But mercy and good faith are for the designers of good.
23 In all labor there is profit, but the talk of the lips tends only to poverty.
In all hard work there is profit, but talk only makes a man poor.
24 The crown of the wise is their riches. The foolishness of fools is folly.
Their wisdom is a crown to the wise, but their foolish behaviour is round the head of the unwise.
25 A true witness delivers souls, but he who utters lies causes deceit.
A true witness is the saviour of lives; but he who says false things is a cause of deceit.
26 In the fear of Jehovah is strong confidence, and his sons shall have a place of refuge.
For him in whose heart is the fear of the Lord there is strong hope: and his children will have a safe place.
27 The fear of Jehovah is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, by which one may be turned from the nets 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.
A king's glory is in the number of his people: and for need of people a ruler may come to destruction.
29 He who is slow to anger is of great understanding, but he who is hasty of spirit exalts folly.
He who is slow to be angry has great good sense; but he whose spirit is over-quick gives support to what is foolish.
30 A tranquil heart is the life of the flesh, but envy is the rottenness of the bones.
A quiet mind is the life of the body, but envy is a disease in the bones.
31 He who oppresses a poor man reproaches his maker, but he who has mercy on a needy man honors him.
He who is hard on the poor puts shame on his Maker; but he who has mercy on those who are in need gives him honour.
32 An evil man is thrust down in his evil-doing, but a righteous man has hope in his death.
The sinner is overturned in his evil-doing, but the upright man has hope in his righteousness.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, but what is in the inward part of fools is made known.
Wisdom has her resting-place in the mind of the wise, but she is not seen among the foolish.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.
By righteousness a nation is lifted up, but sin is a cause of shame to the peoples.
35 The king's favor is toward a servant who deals wisely, but his wrath will be to him who causes shame.
The king has pleasure in a servant who does wisely, but his wrath is against him who is a cause of shame.

< Proverbs 14 >