14 智慧的女子建立家園,
    愚昧的女子親手拆毀。
行為正直的人敬畏耶和華,
    行事邪僻的人輕視耶和華。
愚人的狂言招來鞭打,
    智者的唇舌保護自己。
沒有耕牛槽頭淨,
    五穀豐登需壯牛。
忠實的證人不會撒謊,
    虛假的證人謊話連篇。
嘲諷者徒然尋智慧,
    明哲人輕易得知識。
你要遠離愚昧人,
    他口中毫無知識。
明哲憑智慧辨道,
    愚人被愚昧欺騙。
愚妄人戲看罪惡,
    正直人彼此恩待。
10 心頭的愁苦,唯有自己明白;
    心中的喜樂,外人無法分享。
11 惡人的房屋必遭毀滅,
    正直人的帳篷必興盛。
12 有的路看似正確,
    最終卻通向死亡。
13 歡笑難消內心的痛苦,
    歡樂過後,悲傷猶在。
14 背棄正道,自食惡果;
    善人行善,必得善報。
15 愚昧人什麼都信,
    明哲人步步謹慎。
16 智者小心謹慎,遠離惡事;
    愚人驕傲自負,行事魯莽。
17 急躁易怒的人做事愚昧,
    陰險奸詐之人遭人痛恨。
18 愚昧人得愚昧作產業,
    明哲人得知識為冠冕。
19 壞人俯伏在善人面前,
    惡人俯伏在義人門口。
20 窮人遭鄰舍厭,
    富人朋友眾多。
21 藐視鄰舍是罪過,
    憐憫窮人蒙福樂。
22 圖謀惡事的步入歧途,
    行善的受愛戴和擁護。
23 殷勤工作,帶來益處;
    滿嘴空談,導致貧窮。
24 智者以財富為冠冕,
    愚人以愚昧為裝飾。
25 誠實的證人挽救性命,
    口吐謊言者欺騙他人。
26 敬畏耶和華的信心堅定,
    他的子孫也有庇護所。
27 敬畏耶和華是生命的泉源,
    可以使人避開死亡的陷阱。
28 人民眾多,是君王的榮耀;
    沒有臣民,君主必然敗亡。
29 不輕易發怒者深明事理,
    魯莽急躁的人顯出愚昧。
30 心平氣和,滋潤生命;
    妒火中燒,啃蝕骨頭。
31 欺壓窮人等於侮辱造物主,
    憐憫貧弱就是尊敬造物主。
32 惡人因惡行而滅亡,
    義人到死仍有倚靠。
33 智慧存在哲士心裡,
    愚人心中充滿無知。
34 公義能叫邦國興盛,
    罪惡是人民的恥辱。
35 明智的臣子蒙王喜悅,
    可恥的僕人惹王發怒。

14 The wisest of women[a] builds her house,
    but the foolish tears it down with her hands.
He who walks in uprightness fears Yahweh,
    but he who is devious in his ways displeases him.
In the mouth of a fool is the rod of pride,
    but the lips of the wise preserve them.
When there are no[b] oxen the manger is empty,
    but an abundance of crops comes by the strength of an ox.[c]
A faithful witness does not lie,
    but he who breathes out falsehood is a witness of deceit.
A scoffer seeks wisdom, but there is none,
    but knowledge comes easily to him who understands.[d]
Leave the presence of a foolish man,[e]
    for you will not come to know words of knowledge.[f]
The wisdom of the clever is understanding his ways,
    but the folly of fools is deceit.
Fools mock[g] the guilt offering,
    but among the upright, it is favorable.
10 The heart[h] knows the bitterness of its soul,[i]
    but in its joy, it will not share itself with a stranger.
11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
    but the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There is a way that seems upright to[j] a man,
    but its end is the way of death.
13 Even in laughter, a heart may be sad,
    and the end of joy may be grief.
14 From his ways, the perverse of heart will be satisfied,
    and from his own,[k] so shall a good man.
15 The simple will believe every word,
    but the clever will consider his step.
16 The wise is cautious and turns from evil,
    but the fool throws off restraint and is confident.
17 He who is short of temper[l] will act foolishly,
    and the man who schemes will be hated.
18 The simple are adorned with folly,
    but the clever are crowned with knowledge.
19 The evil bow down before the good,
    and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 The poor is disliked even by his neighbor,
    but the lovers of the rich are many.
21 He who despises his neighbor is a sinner,
    but he who has mercy on the poor blesses him.
22 Have they not erred, those who plan evil?
    But loyalty and faithfulness belong to those who plan good.
23 In all toil, there is profit,
    but the talk[m] of lips leads only to poverty.
24 The crown of the wise is their wealth;
    the folly of fools is folly.
25 He who saves lives[n] is a witness of truth,
    but he who utters lies is a betrayer.
26 In the fear of Yahweh, there is confidence of strength,
    and for his children, there will be refuge.
27 The fear of Yahweh is a fountain of life,
    in order to turn from the snares of death.
28 In the multitude of people is the glory of the king,
    but without a population, a prince is ruined.
29 He who is slow to anger has great understanding,
    but the hasty of spirit[o] exalts folly.
30 A heart[p] of tranquility[q] is life to the flesh,
    but causes bones of passion to rot.
31 He who oppresses the poor insults him who made him,
    but he who has mercy on the poor honors him.
32 By his evildoing, the wicked will be overthrown,
    and the righteous will find refuge in his death.
33 In the heart[r] of him who has understanding, wisdom rests,
    but even in the midst of fools it becomes known.
34 Righteousness will exalt a nation,
    but sin is a reproach to a people.
35 The favor of a king is for the servant who deals wisely,
    but his wrath will be on him who acts shamefully.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:1 Literally “wise ones of women”
  2. Proverbs 14:4 Literally “In there is no”
  3. Proverbs 14:4 Hebrew “bull”
  4. Proverbs 14:6 Literally “to one who understands it comes easy”
  5. Proverbs 14:7 Literally “from the presence belonging to a man of foolishness”
  6. Proverbs 14:7 Literally “lips of knowledge”
  7. Proverbs 14:9 Hebrew “he mocks”
  8. Proverbs 14:10 Or “mind”
  9. Proverbs 14:10 Or “life,” or “inner self”
  10. Proverbs 14:12 Literally “to the face of”
  11. Proverbs 14:14 Literally “from upon him”
  12. Proverbs 14:17 Literally “nostril”
  13. Proverbs 14:23 Literally “word, matter, thing”
  14. Proverbs 14:25 Or “souls,” or “inner selves”
  15. Proverbs 14:29 Or “breath”
  16. Proverbs 14:30 Or “mind”
  17. Proverbs 14:30 Or “he who heals”
  18. Proverbs 14:33 Or “mind”

14 The wise woman builds her house,(A)
    but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.

Whoever fears the Lord walks uprightly,
    but those who despise him are devious in their ways.

A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride,(B)
    but the lips of the wise protect them.(C)

Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty,
    but from the strength of an ox(D) come abundant harvests.

An honest witness does not deceive,
    but a false witness pours out lies.(E)

The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none,
    but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.(F)

Stay away from a fool,
    for you will not find knowledge on their lips.

The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways,(G)
    but the folly of fools is deception.(H)

Fools mock at making amends for sin,
    but goodwill is found among the upright.

10 Each heart knows its own bitterness,
    and no one else can share its joy.

11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed,(I)
    but the tent of the upright will flourish.(J)

12 There is a way that appears to be right,(K)
    but in the end it leads to death.(L)

13 Even in laughter(M) the heart may ache,
    and rejoicing may end in grief.

14 The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways,(N)
    and the good rewarded for theirs.(O)

15 The simple believe anything,
    but the prudent give thought to their steps.(P)

16 The wise fear the Lord and shun evil,(Q)
    but a fool(R) is hotheaded and yet feels secure.

17 A quick-tempered person(S) does foolish things,(T)
    and the one who devises evil schemes is hated.(U)

18 The simple inherit folly,
    but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

19 Evildoers will bow down in the presence of the good,
    and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.(V)

20 The poor are shunned even by their neighbors,
    but the rich have many friends.(W)

21 It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor,(X)
    but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.(Y)

22 Do not those who plot evil go astray?(Z)
    But those who plan what is good find[a] love and faithfulness.

23 All hard work brings a profit,
    but mere talk leads only to poverty.

24 The wealth of the wise is their crown,
    but the folly of fools yields folly.(AA)

25 A truthful witness saves lives,
    but a false witness is deceitful.(AB)

26 Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress,(AC)
    and for their children it will be a refuge.(AD)

27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,(AE)
    turning a person from the snares of death.(AF)

28 A large population is a king’s glory,
    but without subjects a prince is ruined.(AG)

29 Whoever is patient has great understanding,(AH)
    but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.(AI)

30 A heart at peace gives life to the body,
    but envy rots the bones.(AJ)

31 Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,(AK)
    but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.(AL)

32 When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down,(AM)
    but even in death the righteous seek refuge in God.(AN)

33 Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning(AO)
    and even among fools she lets herself be known.[b]

34 Righteousness exalts a nation,(AP)
    but sin condemns any people.

35 A king delights in a wise servant,
    but a shameful servant arouses his fury.(AQ)

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:22 Or show
  2. Proverbs 14:33 Hebrew; Septuagint and Syriac discerning / but in the heart of fools she is not known