< Proverbs 14 >

1 The wise woman buildeth her house; But the foolish teareth it down with her hands.
Wise women [PRS] hold their families together [by the wise things that they do], but foolish women ruin their families by the foolish things that they do.
2 He who walketh in uprightness feareth the LORD; But he who is perverse in his ways despiseth him.
By [continually] behaving/acting righteously, [people show that they] greatly revere Yahweh; those who (walk on crooked paths/always deceive others) [show that they] despise him.
3 In the mouth of the foolish pride is a scourge; But the lips of the wise preserve them.
Foolish people will be punished [MTY] for what they say, but wise [people] will be protected by what they say [MTY].
4 Where there are no oxen, the crib is clean; But there is great increase by the strength of the ox.
If [a man has] no oxen [to plow his field], he does not [need to put] grain [in their feedbox], but if [he has] oxen, they will enable [him to produce] an abundant crop.
5 A faithful witness doth not lie; But a false witness poureth forth lies.
Witnesses who are reliable [always] say what (is true/really happened), but witnesses who are not reliable constantly tell lies [about what happened].
6 The scoffer seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not; But knowledge is easy to the man of understanding.
Those who make fun [of being wise] will never become wise, but those who understand [what is right] learn things easily.
7 Go from the presence of a foolish man; For thou hast not perceived in him the lips of knowledge.
Stay away from foolish people, because they will not be able to teach you anything [useful].
8 The wisdom of the prudent is in giving heed to his way; But the folly of fools is deceit.
Those who have good sense are wise, so they know what they should do [and what they should not do]; foolish people do not know what is right to do, but because they think that they do, they are deceiving themselves.
9 Fools make a mock at sin; But with the upright is favor.
Foolish people make fun of their committing sins; but God is pleased with those who do what is right.
10 The heart knoweth its own bitterness. And a stranger cannot intermeddle with its joy.
If you are very sad or if you are joyful, only you know what you are experiencing; no one else [can] know what you are feeling.
11 The house of the wicked shall be destroyed; But the tent of the upright shall flourish.
Houses built by wicked [people] will be destroyed, but houses built by good/righteous [people] will last for a long time.
12 There is a way which seemeth right to a man, But its end is the way to death.
There are some kinds of behavior [MET] that [some] people [falsely] think are right, but (walking on those roads/continually doing those things) causes [those people] to die.
13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful, And the end of joy is grief.
[Sometimes] when people laugh, they are [really] sad, and when they stop laughing, they are still sad.
14 The perverse in heart shall be filled with his own ways; And from himself shall the good man be satisfied.
Those who stubbornly continue to do what is wrong will get what they deserve, and those who continually do what is good will [also] get what they deserve.
15 The simple man believeth every word; But the prudent looketh well to his steps.
Foolish people believe everything [that people tell them]; those who have good sense think carefully about what will be the result of their actions.
16 The wise man feareth, and departeth from evil; But the fool is haughty and confident.
Wise people are careful and avoid [doing things that will give them] trouble; foolish people are careless and act (too quickly/without thinking).
17 He who is hasty in his anger will commit folly; And the man of wicked devices will be hated.
Those who quickly become angry [IDM] do foolish things; [people] hate those who plan to do wicked things (OR, those who have good sense remain calm/patient).
18 The simple inherit folly; But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
Foolish people get what they deserve for doing foolish things; those with good sense are rewarded [MET] by being able to learn a lot.
19 The evil bow before the good; Yea, the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
[Some day] evil [people] will bow down in front of righteous [people to show that they respect them]; they [will humbly stand] at the gates of [the houses of] righteous [people and request their help].
20 The poor is hated even by his own neighbor; But the rich hath many friends.
[No one likes] poor [people]; even their friends/neighbors do not like them; rich [people] have many friends, but [only while the rich people still have money].
21 He who despiseth his neighbor sinneth; But happy is he who hath mercy on the poor.
It is sinful to despise your [poor] neighbors; [God] is pleased with those who do kind things for the poor.
22 Do not they who devise evil fail of their end? But they who devise good meet with kindness and truth.
Those who plan to do things that are evil/wrong are walking on the wrong road; people faithfully love, respect and are loyal to those who plan to do what is good.
23 In all labor there is profit; But the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.
If you work hard, you will (accomplish something good/get a good income), but if all you do is to talk [and not work], you will remain poor.
24 Riches are a crown to the wise; But the promotion of fools is folly.
One of the rewards [MET] of being wise is to become rich; the reward of acting foolishly is to become more foolish.
25 A true witness saveth lives; But a deceitful witness poureth forth lies.
By saying [in court] what is true, you [can] save the life [of the one who is being falsely accused]; if you tell lies, you are abandoning someone who needs your help [to defend him].
26 In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence; Yea, to his children he will be a refuge.
Those who revere Yahweh are confident [that he will protect them], and their family will [also] be protected.
27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life; By it men escape from the snares of death.
Having an awesome respect for Yahweh is [like] [MET] [having] a fountain that gives life; it will help you to escape when something dangerous is threatening to kill you [MET].
28 In a numerous people is the glory of a king; But the want of people is the destruction of a prince.
If a king rules over many people, many people will [be able to] honor him; if he has only a few people in his kingdom, he will have very little [HYP] power.
29 He who is slow to anger is of great understanding. But he who is of a hasty spirit setteth folly on high.
Those who do not quickly become angry are very wise; by quickly becoming angry, people show that they are foolish.
30 A quiet heart is the life of the flesh; But the ferment of passion is rottenness to the bones.
Having a mind that is peaceful results in having a healthy body; having a mind that is [often] in turmoil is [like] [MET] cancer in [a person’s] bones.
31 He who oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker; But he who hath mercy on the poor honoreth him.
Those who oppress poor people are insulting God, the one who made those poor people, but acting kindly toward them is respecting God.
32 By his wickedness the wicked is thrust down; But the righteous hath hope even in death.
Wicked [people] ruin themselves by the evil things that they do, but righteous/good [people] are kept safe/protected even when they die (OR, because of their continually doing what is right).
33 Wisdom resteth quietly in the heart of the wise; But in the breast of fools it will be made known.
Those who have good sense always think what is wise; foolish people do not know anything about being wise.
34 Righteousness exalteth a people; But the reproach of nations is sin.
[When] the people of a nation [continually act] righteously, it causes that nation to be great; [continually doing what is] evil causes a nation to be disgraced.
35 The king's favor is toward a wise servant; But his wrath is against him that causeth shame.
Kings are pleased with officials who do their work competently/skillfully, but they punish [MTY] those who [do their work in a manner that] causes the kings to be disgraced.

< Proverbs 14 >