Proverbs 14

¹The wise woman builds her house [on a foundation of godly precepts, and her household thrives],
But the foolish one [who lacks spiritual insight] tears it down with her own hands [by ignoring godly principles].
² 
He who walks in uprightness [reverently] fears the Lord [and obeys and worships Him with profound respect],
But he who is devious in his ways despises Him.
³ 
In the mouth of the [arrogant] ^[a]fool [who rejects God] is a rod for his back,
But the lips of the wise [when they speak with godly wisdom] will protect them.
⁴ 
Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
But much revenue [because of good crops] comes by the strength of the ox.
⁵ 
A faithful and trustworthy witness will not lie,
But a false witness speaks lies.
⁶ 
A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none [for his ears are closed to wisdom],
But knowledge is easy for one who understands [because he is willing to learn].
⁷ 
Leave the presence of a [shortsighted] fool,
For you will not find knowledge or hear godly wisdom from his lips.
⁸ 
The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,
But the foolishness of [shortsighted] fools is deceit.
⁹ 
Fools mock sin [but sin mocks the fools],
But among the upright there is good will and the favor and blessing of God.
¹⁰ 
The heart knows its own bitterness,
And no stranger shares its joy.
¹¹ 
The house of the wicked will be overthrown,
But the tent of the upright will thrive.
¹² 
There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him,
But its end is the way of death.
¹³ 
Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
And the end of joy may be grief.
¹⁴ 
The backslider in heart will have his fill with his own [rotten] ways,
But a good man will be satisfied with his ways [the godly thought and action which his heart pursues and in which he delights].
¹⁵ 
The naive or inexperienced person [is easily misled and] believes every word he hears,
But the prudent man [is discreet and astute and] considers well where he is going.
¹⁶ 
A wise man suspects danger and cautiously avoids evil,
But the fool is arrogant and careless.
¹⁷ 
A quick-tempered man acts foolishly and without self-control,
And a man of wicked schemes is hated.
¹⁸ 
The naive [are unsophisticated and easy to exploit and] inherit foolishness,
But the sensible [are thoughtful and far-sighted and] are crowned with knowledge.
¹⁹ 
The evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked [will bow down] at the gates of the righteous.
²⁰ 
The poor man is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.
²¹ 
He who despises his neighbor sins [against God and his fellow man],
But happy [blessed and favored by God] is he who is gracious and merciful to the poor.
²² 
Do they not go astray who devise evil and wander from the way of righteousness?
But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.
²³ 
In all labor there is profit,
But mere talk leads only to poverty.
²⁴ 
The crown of the wise is their wealth [of wisdom],
But the foolishness of [closed-minded] fools is [nothing but] folly.
²⁵ 
A truthful witness saves lives,
But he who speaks lies is treacherous.
²⁶ 
In the [reverent] fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And His children will [always] have a place of refuge.
²⁷ 
The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that leads to obedience and worship] is a fountain of life,
So that one may avoid the snares of death.
²⁸ 
In a multitude of people is a king’s glory,
But in a lack of people is a [pretentious] prince’s ruin.
²⁹ 
He who is slow to anger has great understanding [and profits from his self-control],
But he who is quick-tempered exposes and exalts his foolishness [for all to see].
³⁰ 
A calm and peaceful and tranquil heart is life and health to the body,
But passion and envy are like rottenness to the bones.
³¹ 
He who oppresses the poor taunts and insults his Maker,
But he who is kind and merciful and gracious to the needy honors Him.
³² 
The wicked is overthrown through his wrongdoing,
But the righteous has hope and confidence and a refuge [with God] even in death.
³³ 
Wisdom rests [silently] in the heart of one who has understanding,
But what is in the heart of [shortsighted] fools is made known.
³⁴ 
Righteousness [moral and spiritual integrity and virtuous character] exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.
³⁵ 
The king’s favor and good will are toward a servant who acts wisely and discreetly,
But his anger and wrath are toward him who acts shamefully.