Proverbs, 14

¹ The truly wise woman builds up her house, But the foolish one tears it down with her own hands.

² The one walking in his uprightness fears Jehovah, But the one whose ways are devious^*1 despises Him.

³ The rod of haughtiness is in the mouth of the fool, But the lips of the wise will protect them.

⁴ Where there are no cattle the manger is clean, But the power of a bull yields an abundant harvest.

⁵ A faithful witness will not lie, But a false witness lies with every breath.

⁶ The scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none, But knowledge comes easily to the person with understanding.

⁷ Stay away from the foolish man, For you will not find knowledge on his lips.

⁸ By wisdom the shrewd man understands the way he is going, But the stupid are deceived^*1 by their foolishness.

⁹ Fools make fun of guilt,^*1 But among the upright, there is a willingness to reconcile.^*2

¹⁰ The heart knows its own bitterness,^*1 And no outsider can share in its joy.

¹¹ The house of the wicked will be destroyed, But the tent of the upright will flourish.

¹² There is a way that seems right to a man, But in the end it leads to death.

¹³ Even in laughter the heart may feel pain, And rejoicing may end in grief.

¹⁴ The one wayward at heart will reap the results of his ways, But the good man reaps the reward of his dealings.

¹⁵ The naive^*1 person believes every word, But the shrewd one ponders each step.

¹⁶ The wise one is cautious and turns away from evil, But the stupid one is reckless^*1 and overconfident.

¹⁷ The one who is quick to anger acts foolishly, But the man who thinks things out^*1 is hated.

¹⁸ The naive^*1 will inherit foolishness, But the shrewd are crowned with knowledge.

¹⁹ Bad people will have to bow down before the good, And the wicked will bow at the gates of the righteous.

²⁰ The poor man is hated even by his neighbors, But many are the friends of the rich person.

²¹ The one who despises his neighbor sins, But whoever shows compassion to the lowly is happy.

²² Will not those who plot mischief go astray? But those intent on doing good will receive loyal love and faithfulness.

²³ There is benefit in every kind of hard work, But mere talk leads to want.

²⁴ The crown of the wise is their wealth; But the foolishness of the stupid is only foolishness.

²⁵ A true witness saves lives,^*1 But a deceitful one lies with every breath.

²⁶ There is strong confidence in the fear of Jehovah, And it will be a refuge for his children.

²⁷ The fear of Jehovah is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death.

²⁸ A multitude of people are a king’s majesty, But a ruler without subjects is ruined.

²⁹ The one who is slow to anger has great discernment, But the impatient one displays his foolishness.

³⁰ A calm heart gives life^*1 to the body, But jealousy is rottenness to the bones.

³¹ The one who defrauds the lowly one insults his Maker, But whoever shows compassion to the poor glorifies Him.

³² The wicked one will be brought down by his own evil, But the righteous one will find refuge in his integrity.

³³ Wisdom rests quietly in the heart of an understanding person, But among the stupid it must make itself known.

³⁴ Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is disgraceful to a people.

³⁵ The king finds pleasure in a servant who acts with insight, But his fury is against the one who acts shamefully.