14 Every wise woman builds her house,(A)
but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.(B)

Whoever lives with integrity fears the Lord,(C)
but the one who is devious in his ways despises him.(D)

The proud speech of a fool brings a rod of discipline,[a]
but the lips of the wise protect them.(E)

Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is empty,[b]
but an abundant harvest comes through the strength of an ox.

An honest witness does not deceive,
but a dishonest witness utters lies.(F)

A mocker seeks wisdom and doesn’t find it,
but knowledge comes easily to the perceptive.

Stay away from a foolish person;
you will gain no knowledge from his speech.(G)

The sensible person’s wisdom is to consider his way,
but the stupidity of fools deceives them.

Fools mock at making reparation,[c]
but there is goodwill among the upright.

10 The heart knows its own bitterness,
and no outsider shares in its joy.

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

12 There is a way that seems right to a person,(I)
but its end is the way to death.(J)

13 Even in laughter a heart may be sad,
and joy may end in grief.(K)

14 The disloyal one will get what his conduct deserves,
and a good one, what his deeds deserve.(L)

15 The inexperienced one believes anything,(M)
but the sensible one watches[d] his steps.

16 A wise person is cautious and turns from evil,(N)
but a fool is easily angered and is careless.[e]

17 A quick-tempered person acts foolishly,
and one who schemes is hated.(O)

18 The inexperienced inherit foolishness,
but the sensible are crowned with knowledge.

19 The evil bow before those who are good,
and the wicked, at the gates of the righteous.

20 A poor person is hated even by his neighbor,(P)
but there are many who love the rich.(Q)

21 The one who despises his neighbor sins,(R)
but whoever shows kindness to the poor will be happy.(S)

22 Don’t those who plan evil go astray?(T)
But those who plan good find loyalty and faithfulness.(U)

23 There is profit in all hard work,
but endless talk[f] leads only to poverty.(V)

24 The crown of the wise is their wealth,
but the foolishness of fools produces foolishness.

25 A truthful witness rescues lives,
but one who utters lies is deceitful.(W)

26 In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence
and his children have a refuge.(X)

27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
turning people away from the snares of death.(Y)

28 A large population is a king’s splendor,
but a shortage of people is a ruler’s devastation.

29 A patient person shows great understanding,(Z)
but a quick-tempered one promotes foolishness.

30 A tranquil heart is life to the body,(AA)
but jealousy is rottenness to the bones.(AB)

31 The one who oppresses the poor person insults his Maker,(AC)
but one who is kind to the needy honors him.(AD)

32 The wicked one is thrown down by his own sin,(AE)
but the righteous one has a refuge in his death.(AF)

33 Wisdom resides in the heart of the discerning;(AG)
she is known[g] even among fools.

34 Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a disgrace to any people.(AH)

35 A king favors a prudent servant,(AI)
but his anger falls on a disgraceful one.

Footnotes

  1. 14:3 Some emend to In the mouth of a fool is a rod for his back
  2. 14:4 Or clean
  3. 14:9 Or at guilt offerings
  4. 14:15 Lit the prudent understands
  5. 14:16 Or and falls
  6. 14:23 Lit but word of lips
  7. 14:33 LXX reads unknown

14 A wise woman builds her house,
    while a foolish woman tears hers down with her own hands.
Those who walk with integrity fear the Lord,
    but those who take a crooked path despise him.
Pride sprouts in the mouth of a fool,[a]
    but the lips of the wise protect them.
When there are no oxen, the stall is clean,
    but when there is a strong bull, there is abundant produce.
A truthful witness doesn’t lie,
    but a false witness spews lies.
A mocker searches for wisdom and gets none,
    but knowledge comes quickly to the intelligent.
Stay away from fools,
    for you won’t learn wise speech there.
By their wisdom the prudent understand their way,
    but the stupidity of fools deceives them.
Fools mock a compensation offering,
    but favor is with those who do right.
10 The heart knows its own distress;
    another person can’t share its joy.
11 The house of the wicked is destroyed,
    but the tent flourishes for those who do right.
12 There is a path that may seem straight to someone,
    but in the end it is a path to death.
13 The heart feels pain even in laughter,
    and in the end, joy turns to sorrow.
14 Rebellious hearts receive satisfaction from their ways;
    the good receive the due reward for their deeds.
15 The naive believe anything,
    but the prudent give thought to their steps.
16 The wise are careful and avoid evil,
    but fools become excited and overconfident.
17 Short-tempered people make stupid mistakes,
    and schemers are hated.
18 Stupidity is the lot of the naive,
    but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19 Evil people will bow down before the good;
    wicked people are at the gates of the righteous.
20 Even their neighbors hate the poor,
    but many love the wealthy.
21 Those who despise their neighbors are sinners,
    but happy are those who are kind to the needy.
22 Don’t those who plan evil go astray?
    Those who plan good receive loyalty and faithfulness.
23 There is profit in hard work,
    but mere talk leads to poverty.
24 Wealth is the crown of the wise,
    and the folly of fools is folly.
25 A truthful witness saves lives,
    but a deceiver proclaims lies.
26 In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence
    and refuge for one’s children.
27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
    turning people away from deathtraps.
28 A king’s glory is a large population,
    but a dwindling people is a ruler’s ruin.
29 Patience leads to abundant understanding,
    but impatience leads to stupid mistakes.
30 A peaceful mind gives life to the body,
    but jealousy rots the bones.
31 Those who exploit the powerless anger their maker,
    while those who are kind to the poor honor God.
32 The wicked are thrown down by their own evil,
    but the righteous find refuge even in death.
33 Wisdom resides in an understanding heart,
    but it’s not[b] known in fools.
34 Righteousness dignifies a nation,
    but sin disgraces a people.
35 The king favors an insightful servant,
    but is furious at a shameful one.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:3 Heb uncertain
  2. Proverbs 14:33 LXX; MT lacks not.