Proverbs 14
Lexham English Bible
14 The wisest of women[a] builds her house,
but the foolish tears it down with her hands.
2 He who walks in uprightness fears Yahweh,
but he who is devious in his ways displeases him.
3 In the mouth of a fool is the rod of pride,
but the lips of the wise preserve them.
4 When there are no[b] oxen the manger is empty,
but an abundance of crops comes by the strength of an ox.[c]
5 A faithful witness does not lie,
but he who breathes out falsehood is a witness of deceit.
6 A scoffer seeks wisdom, but there is none,
but knowledge comes easily to him who understands.[d]
7 Leave the presence of a foolish man,[e]
for you will not come to know words of knowledge.[f]
8 The wisdom of the clever is understanding his ways,
but the folly of fools is deceit.
9 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
- Proverbs 14:1 Literally “wise ones of women”
- Proverbs 14:4 Literally “In there is no”
- Proverbs 14:4 Hebrew “bull”
- Proverbs 14:6 Literally “to one who understands it comes easy”
- Proverbs 14:7 Literally “from the presence belonging to a man of foolishness”
- Proverbs 14:7 Literally “lips of knowledge”
- Proverbs 14:9 Hebrew “he mocks”
- Proverbs 14:10 Or “mind”
- Proverbs 14:10 Or “life,” or “inner self”
- Proverbs 14:12 Literally “to the face of”
- Proverbs 14:14 Literally “from upon him”
- Proverbs 14:17 Literally “nostril”
- Proverbs 14:23 Literally “word, matter, thing”
- Proverbs 14:25 Or “souls,” or “inner selves”
- Proverbs 14:29 Or “breath”
- Proverbs 14:30 Or “mind”
- Proverbs 14:30 Or “he who heals”
- Proverbs 14:33 Or “mind”
Proverbs 14
Common English Bible
14 A wise woman builds her house,
while a foolish woman tears hers down with her own hands.
2 Those who walk with integrity fear the Lord,
but those who take a crooked path despise him.
3 Pride sprouts in the mouth of a fool,[a]
but the lips of the wise protect them.
4 When there are no oxen, the stall is clean,
but when there is a strong bull, there is abundant produce.
5 A truthful witness doesn’t lie,
but a false witness spews lies.
6 A mocker searches for wisdom and gets none,
but knowledge comes quickly to the intelligent.
7 Stay away from fools,
for you won’t learn wise speech there.
8 By their wisdom the prudent understand their way,
but the stupidity of fools deceives them.
9 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
- Proverbs 14:3 Heb uncertain
- Proverbs 14:33 LXX; MT lacks not.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible