Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

14 The (A)wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.
He who (B)walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
But he who is (C)devious in his ways despises Him.
In the mouth of the foolish is a rod [a]for his back,
But (D)the lips of the wise will protect them.
Where no oxen are, 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 [b](G)utters lies.
A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none,
But knowledge is easy to one who has understanding.
Leave the (H)presence of a fool,
Or you will not [c]discern [d]words of knowledge.
The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,
But (I)the foolishness of fools is deceit.
Fools mock at [e]sin,
But (J)among the upright there is [f]good will.
10 The heart knows its own (K)bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.
11 The (L)house of the wicked will be destroyed,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There (M)is a way which seems right to a man,
But its (N)end is the way of death.
13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
And the (O)end of joy may be grief.
14 The backslider in heart will have his (P)fill of his own ways,
But a good man will (Q)be satisfied [g]with his.
15 The [h]naive believes everything,
But the sensible man considers his steps.
16 A wise man [i]is cautious and (R)turns away from evil,
But a fool is arrogant and careless.
17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
And a man of evil devices is hated.
18 The [j]naive inherit foolishness,
But the sensible are crowned with knowledge.
19 The (S)evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 The (T)poor is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.
21 He who (U)despises his neighbor sins,
But (V)happy is he who is gracious to the [k]poor.
22 Will they not go astray who (W)devise evil?
But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.
23 In all labor there is profit,
But [l]mere talk leads only to poverty.
24 The (X)crown of the wise is their riches,
But the folly of fools is foolishness.
25 A truthful witness saves lives,
But he who [m](Y)utters lies is [n]treacherous.
26 In the [o](Z)fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And [p]his children will have refuge.
27 The [q]fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
That one may avoid the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king’s glory,
But in the dearth of people is a prince’s ruin.
29 He who is (AA)slow to anger has great understanding,
But he who is [r]quick-tempered exalts folly.
30 A (AB)tranquil heart is life to the body,
But passion is (AC)rottenness to the bones.
31 He (AD)who oppresses the poor taunts (AE)his Maker,
But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.
32 The wicked is (AF)thrust down by his [s]wrongdoing,
But the (AG)righteous has a refuge when he dies.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding,
But in the [t]hearts of fools it is made known.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.
35 The king’s favor is toward a (AH)servant who acts wisely,
But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:3 Lit of pride
  2. Proverbs 14:5 Lit breathes out
  3. Proverbs 14:7 Lit know
  4. Proverbs 14:7 Lit lips
  5. Proverbs 14:9 Lit guilt
  6. Proverbs 14:9 Or the favor of God
  7. Proverbs 14:14 Lit from himself
  8. Proverbs 14:15 Lit simple
  9. Proverbs 14:16 Lit fears
  10. Proverbs 14:18 Lit simple
  11. Proverbs 14:21 Or afflicted
  12. Proverbs 14:23 Lit word of lips
  13. Proverbs 14:25 Lit breathes out
  14. Proverbs 14:25 Lit treachery
  15. Proverbs 14:26 Or reverence
  16. Proverbs 14:26 Or His
  17. Proverbs 14:27 Or reverence
  18. Proverbs 14:29 Lit short of spirit
  19. Proverbs 14:32 Or calamity
  20. Proverbs 14:33 Lit inward part

14 The [a](A)wise woman builds her house,
But the woman of folly tears it down with her own hands.
He who (B)walks in his uprightness fears Yahweh,
But he who is (C)devious in his ways despises Him.
In the mouth of the ignorant fool is a rod of lofty pride,
But (D)the lips of the wise will keep them.
Where no oxen are, the manger is clean,
But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.
A (E)faithful witness will not lie,
But a (F)false witness (G)breathes out lies.
A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none,
But knowledge is easy to one who has understanding.
Leave the (H)presence of a fool,
As you have not known lips of knowledge there.
The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But (I)the folly of fools is deceit.
Ignorant fools scoff at guilt,
But (J)among the upright there is favor.
10 The heart knows its own (K)bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its gladness.
11 The (L)house of the wicked will be destroyed,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There (M)is a way which seems right to a man,
But its (N)end is the way of death.
13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
And the (O)end of joy may be grief.
14 The one who turns back in his heart will be satisfied with his (P)ways,
But a good man will (Q)be satisfied [b]with his.
15 The simple believes everything,
But the prudent one discerns his steps.
16 A wise man fears and (R)turns away from evil,
But a fool gets angry and feels secure.
17 A quick-tempered man acts in folly,
And a man of evil schemes is hated.
18 The simple inherit folly,
But the prudent are [c]crowned with knowledge.
19 The (S)evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 The (T)poor is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.
21 He who (U)despises his neighbor sins,
But how (V)blessed is he who is gracious to the [d]poor.
22 Will they not wander in error who (W)devise evil?
But lovingkindness and truth will be to those who devise good.
23 In all painful labor there is profit,
But mere words from the lips lead only to want.
24 The (X)crown of the wise is their riches,
But the folly of fools is folly.
25 A truthful witness delivers souls,
But he who (Y)breathes out lies is deceitful.
26 In the [e](Z)fear of Yahweh there is strong security,
And [f]his children will have refuge.
27 The [g]fear of Yahweh is a fountain of life,
To turn aside from the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king’s splendor,
But in the dearth of people is a prince’s ruin.
29 He who is (AA)slow to anger has great discernment,
But he who is [h]quick-tempered raises up folly.
30 A [i](AB)tranquil heart is life to the body,
But jealousy is (AC)rottenness to the bones.
31 He (AD)who oppresses the poor reproaches (AE)his Maker,
But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.
32 The wicked is (AF)thrust down by his own evil,
But the (AG)righteous takes refuge even in his death.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding,
But in the midst of fools it is merely made known.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.
35 The king’s favor is toward a (AH)servant who acts insightfully,
But his fury is toward him who acts shamefully.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:1 Lit wise women
  2. Proverbs 14:14 Lit from himself
  3. Proverbs 14:18 Lit surrounded
  4. Proverbs 14:21 Or afflicted
  5. Proverbs 14:26 Or reverence
  6. Proverbs 14:26 Or His
  7. Proverbs 14:27 Or reverence
  8. Proverbs 14:29 Lit short of spirit
  9. Proverbs 14:30 Lit healing

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.
10 The heart knows its own (K)bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.
11 The (L)house of the wicked will be destroyed,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There (M)is a way which seems right to a person,
But its (N)end is the way of death.
13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
And the (O)end of joy may be grief.
14 One with a wayward heart will have his (P)fill of his own ways,
But a good person will (Q)be satisfied [e]with his.
15 The naive believes everything,
But the sensible person considers his steps.
16 A wise person [f]is cautious and (R)turns away from evil,
But a fool is arrogant and careless.
17 A quick-tempered person acts foolishly,
And a person of evil devices is hated.
18 The naive inherit foolishness,
But the sensible are crowned with knowledge.
19 The (S)evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 The (T)poor is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.
21 One who (U)despises his neighbor sins,
But (V)one who is gracious to the [g]poor is blessed.
22 Will they who (W)devise evil not go astray?
But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.
23 In all labor there is profit,
But [h]mere talk leads only to poverty.
24 The (X)crown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is simply foolishness.
25 A truthful witness saves lives,
But one who (Y)declares lies is [i]deceitful.
26 In [j](Z)the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And [k]his children will have refuge.
27 [l]The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
By which one may avoid the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king’s glory,
But in the scarcity of people is a prince’s ruin.
29 One who is (AA)slow to anger has great understanding;
But one who is [m]quick-tempered exalts foolishness.
30 A (AB)tranquil heart is life to the body,
But jealousy is (AC)rottenness to the bones.
31 One (AD)who oppresses the poor taunts (AE)his Maker,
But one who is gracious to the needy honors Him.
32 The wicked is (AF)thrust down by his own wrongdoing,
But the (AG)righteous has a refuge when he dies.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding,
But among fools it is made known.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.
35 The king’s favor is toward a (AH)servant who acts wisely,
But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.

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
  5. Proverbs 14:14 Lit from himself
  6. Proverbs 14:16 Lit fears
  7. Proverbs 14:21 Or afflicted
  8. Proverbs 14:23 Lit word of lips
  9. Proverbs 14:25 Lit a fraud
  10. Proverbs 14:26 Or reverence for
  11. Proverbs 14:26 Or His
  12. Proverbs 14:27 Or Reverence for
  13. Proverbs 14:29 Lit short of spirit