Proverbs 14-15
New King James Version
The Ways of Life and Death
14 The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.
2 He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
(A)But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.
3 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,
(B)But the lips of the wise will preserve them.
4 Where no oxen are, the [a]trough is clean;
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.
6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it,
But (E)knowledge is easy to him who understands.
7 Go from the presence of a foolish man,
When you do not perceive in him the lips of (F)knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But the folly of fools is deceit.
10 The heart knows its own bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.
11 (H)The house of the wicked will be overthrown,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
13 Even in laughter the heart may sorrow,
And (L)the end of mirth may be grief.
14 The backslider in heart will be (M)filled with his own ways,
But a good man will be satisfied [c]from (N)above.
15 The simple believes every word,
But the prudent considers well his steps.
16 (O)A wise man fears and departs from evil,
But a fool rages and is self-confident.
17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
And a man of wicked intentions is hated.
18 The simple inherit folly,
But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19 The evil will bow before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 (P)The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor,
But [d]the rich has many (Q)friends.
21 He who despises his neighbor sins;
(R)But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.
22 Do they not go astray who devise evil?
But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.
23 In all labor there is profit,
But [e]idle chatter leads only to poverty.
24 The crown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is folly.
26 In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
27 (T)The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king’s honor,
But in the lack of people is the downfall of a prince.
31 (X)He who oppresses the poor reproaches (Y)his Maker,
But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
32 The wicked is banished in his wickedness,
But (Z)the righteous has a refuge in his death.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding,
But (AA)what is in the heart of fools is made known.
35 (AC)The king’s favor is toward a wise servant,
But his wrath is against him who causes shame.
A Soft Answer Turns Away Wrath
15 A (AD)soft answer turns away wrath,
But (AE)a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,
(AF)But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
3 (AG)The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4 A [i]wholesome tongue is a tree of life,
But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
6 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.
7 The lips of the wise [k]disperse knowledge,
But the heart of the fool does not do so.
8 (AJ)The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But He loves him who (AK)follows righteousness.
11 (AN)Hell[l] and [m]Destruction are before the Lord;
So how much more (AO)the hearts of the sons of men.
12 (AP)A scoffer does not love one who corrects him,
Nor will he go to the wise.
13 (AQ)A merry heart makes a cheerful [n]countenance,
But (AR)by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
15 All the days of the afflicted are evil,
(AS)But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.
16 (AT)Better is a little with the fear of the Lord,
Than great treasure with trouble.
17 (AU)Better is a dinner of [o]herbs where love is,
Than a fatted calf with hatred.
18 (AV)A wrathful man stirs up strife,
But he who is slow to anger allays contention.
19 (AW)The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns,
But the way of the upright is a highway.
20 (AX)A wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man despises his mother.
21 (AY)Folly is joy to him who is destitute of [p]discernment,
(AZ)But a man of understanding walks uprightly.
22 (BA)Without counsel, plans go awry,
But in the multitude of counselors they are established.
25 (BE)The Lord will destroy the house of the proud,
But (BF)He will establish the boundary of the widow.
26 (BG)The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
(BH)But the words of the pure are pleasant.
27 (BI)He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house,
But he who hates bribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous (BJ)studies how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.
30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
And a good report makes the bones [s]healthy.
31 The ear that hears the rebukes of life
Will abide among the wise.
32 He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,
But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.
33 (BM)The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,
And (BN)before honor is humility.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:4 manger or feed trough
- Proverbs 14:9 Lit. guilt
- Proverbs 14:14 Lit. from above himself
- Proverbs 14:20 Lit. many are the lovers of the rich
- Proverbs 14:23 Lit. talk of the lips
- Proverbs 14:25 saves lives
- Proverbs 14:29 Lit. short of spirit
- Proverbs 14:34 shame or disgrace
- Proverbs 15:4 Lit. healing
- Proverbs 15:5 Lit. keeps
- Proverbs 15:7 spread
- Proverbs 15:11 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 15:11 Heb. Abaddon
- Proverbs 15:13 face
- Proverbs 15:17 Or vegetables
- Proverbs 15:21 Lit. heart
- Proverbs 15:23 Lit. in its time
- Proverbs 15:24 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 15:30 Lit. fat
Romans 14
New King James Version
The Law of Liberty
14 Receive(A) one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he (B)may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and (C)let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 (D)Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
5 (E)One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who (F)observes the day, observes it to the Lord; [a]and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for (G)he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. 7 For (H)none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 For if we (I)live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For (J)to this end Christ died [b]and rose and lived again, that He might be (K)Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For (L)we shall all stand before the judgment seat of [c]Christ. 11 For it is written:
(M)“As I live, says the Lord,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.”
12 So then (N)each of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another [d]anymore, but rather resolve this, (O)not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.
The Law of Love
14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus (P)that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. (Q)Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. 16 (R)Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; 17 (S)for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and (T)peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who serves Christ in [e]these things (U)is acceptable to God and approved by men.
19 (V)Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which (W)one may [f]edify another. 20 (X)Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. (Y)All things indeed are pure, (Z)but it is evil for the man who eats with [g]offense. 21 It is good neither to eat (AA)meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles [h]or is offended or is made weak. 22 [i]Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. (AB)Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for (AC)whatever is not from faith is [j]sin.
Footnotes
- Romans 14:6 NU omits the rest of this sentence.
- Romans 14:9 NU omits and rose
- Romans 14:10 NU God
- Romans 14:13 any longer
- Romans 14:18 NU this thing
- Romans 14:19 build up
- Romans 14:20 A feeling of giving offense
- Romans 14:21 NU omits the rest of v. 21.
- Romans 14:22 NU The faith which you have—have
- Romans 14:23 M puts Rom. 16:25–27 here.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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