Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked

14 The (A)wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.
One who (B)walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
But one who is (C)devious in his ways despises Him.
In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back,
But (D)the lips of the wise will protect them.
Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean;
But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.
A (E)trustworthy witness will not lie,
But a (F)false witness (G)declares lies.
A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none,
But knowledge is easy for one who has understanding.
Leave the (H)presence of a fool,
Or you will not [a]discern [b]words of knowledge.
The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,
But (I)the foolishness of fools is deceit.
Fools mock at [c]sin,
But (J)among the upright there is [d]goodwill.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:7 Lit know
  2. Proverbs 14:7 Lit lips
  3. Proverbs 14:9 Lit guilt
  4. Proverbs 14:9 Or the favor of God

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.

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