14:1 The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.
14:2 One who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD,
But one who is devious in his ways despises Him.
14:3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back,
But the lips of the wise will protect them.
14:4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean;
But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.
14:5 A trustworthy witness will not lie,
But a false witness declares lies.
14:6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none,
But knowledge is easy for one who has understanding.
14:7 Leave the presence of a fool,
Or you will not ①discern ②words of knowledge.
▷ ①Lit know ②Lit lips
14:8 The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,
But the foolishness of fools is deceit.
14:9 Fools mock at ①sin,
But among the upright there is ②goodwill.
▷ ①Lit guilt ②Or the favor of God
14:10 The heart knows its own bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.
14:11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
14:12 There is a way which seems right to a person,
But its end is the way of death.
14:13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
And the end of joy may be grief.
14:14 One with a wayward heart will have his fill of his own ways,
But a good person will be satisfied ①with his.
▷ ①Lit from himself
14:15 The naive believes everything,
But the sensible person considers his steps.
14:16 A wise person ①is cautious and turns away from evil,
But a fool is arrogant and careless.
▷ ①Lit fears
14:17 A quick-tempered person acts foolishly,
And a person of evil devices is hated.
14:18 The naive inherit foolishness,
But the sensible are crowned with knowledge.
14:19 The evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
14:20 The poor is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.
14:21 One who despises his neighbor sins,
But one who is gracious to the ①poor is blessed.
▷ ①Or afflicted
14:22 Will they who devise evil not go astray?
But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.
14:23 In all labor there is profit,
But ①mere talk leads only to poverty.
▷ ①Lit word of lips
14:24 The crown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is simply foolishness.
14:25 A truthful witness saves lives,
But one who declares lies is ①deceitful.
▷ ①Lit a fraud
14:26 In ①the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence,
And ②his children will have refuge.
▷ ①Or reverence for ②Or His
14:27 ①The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,
By which one may avoid the snares of death.
▷ ①Or Reverence for
14:28 In a multitude of people is a king’s glory,
But in the scarcity of people is a prince’s ruin.
14:29 One who is slow to anger has great understanding;
But one who is ①quick-tempered exalts foolishness.
▷ ①Lit short of spirit
14:30 A tranquil heart is life to the body,
But jealousy is rottenness to the bones.
14:31 One who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker,
But one who is gracious to the needy honors Him.
14:32 The wicked is thrust down by his own wrongdoing,
But the righteous has a refuge when he dies.
14:33 Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding,
But among fools it is made known.
14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.
14:35 The king’s favor is toward a servant who acts wisely,
But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.