Proverbs 14

1 Every wise woman hath builded her house, And the foolish with her hands breaketh it down.

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 Whoso is walking in his uprightness is fearing Jehovah, And the perverted [in] his ways is despising 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 a fool [is] a rod of pride, And 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 Without oxen a stall [is] clean, And great [is] the increase by the power 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 lieth not, And a false witness breatheth out 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 A scorner hath sought wisdom, and it is not, And knowledge to the intelligent [is] easy.

Those who make fun [of being wise] will never become wise, but those who understand [what is right] learn things easily.

7 Go from before a foolish man, Or thou hast not known 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] to understand his way, And 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 mock at a guilt-offering, And among the upright — a pleasing thing.

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 with its joy a stranger doth not intermeddle.

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 is destroyed, And the tent of the upright flourisheth.

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 — right before a man, And its latter end [are] ways of 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 is the heart pained, And the latter end of joy [is] affliction.

[Sometimes] when people laugh, they are [really] sad, and when they stop laughing, they are still sad.

14 From his ways is the backslider in heart filled, And a good man — from his fruits.

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 giveth credence to everything, And the prudent attendeth to his step.

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 is fearing and turning from evil, And a fool is transgressing and is 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 Whoso is short of temper doth folly, And a man of wicked devices is 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 have inherited folly, And 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 have bowed down before the good, And 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 Even of his neighbour is the poor hated, And those loving the rich [are] many.

[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 Whoso is despising his neighbour sinneth, Whoso is favouring the humble, O his happiness.

It is sinful to despise your [poor] neighbors; [God] is pleased with those who do kind things for the poor.

22 Do not they err who are devising evil? And kindness and truth [are] to those devising good,

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 labour there is advantage, And a thing of the lips [is] only to want.

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 The crown of the wise is their wealth, The folly 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 is delivering souls, And a deceitful one breatheth out 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 Jehovah [is] strong confidence, And to His sons there is a refuge.

Those who revere Yahweh are confident [that he will protect them], and their family will [also] be protected.

27 The fear of Jehovah [is] a fountain of life, To turn aside from 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 the multitude of a people [is] the honour of a king, And in lack of people the ruin 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 Whoso is slow to anger [is] of great understanding, And whoso is short in temper is exalting folly.

Those who do not quickly become angry are very wise; by quickly becoming angry, people show that they are foolish.

30 A healed heart [is] life to the flesh, And rottenness to the bones [is] envy.

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 An oppressor of the poor reproacheth his Maker, And whoso is honouring Him Is favouring the needy.

Those who oppress poor people are insulting God, the one who made those poor people, but acting kindly toward them is respecting God.

32 In his wickedness is the wicked driven away, And trustful in his death [is] the righteous.

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 In the heart of the intelligent wisdom doth rest. And in the midst of fools it is known.

Those who have good sense always think what is wise; foolish people do not know anything about being wise.

34 Righteousness exalteth a nation, And the goodliness of peoples [is] a sin-offering.

[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 favour of a king [is] to a wise servant, And an object of his wrath is one causing 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.