Proverbs 14
New King James Version
The Ways of Life and Death
14 The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.
2 He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
(A)But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.
3 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,
(B)But the lips of the wise will preserve them.
4 Where no oxen are, the [a]trough is clean;
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.
6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it,
But (E)knowledge is easy to him who understands.
7 Go from the presence of a foolish man,
When you do not perceive in him the lips of (F)knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But the folly of fools is deceit.
10 The heart knows its own bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.
11 (H)The house of the wicked will be overthrown,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
13 Even in laughter the heart may sorrow,
And (L)the end of mirth may be grief.
14 The backslider in heart will be (M)filled with his own ways,
But a good man will be satisfied [c]from (N)above.
15 The simple believes every word,
But the prudent considers well his steps.
16 (O)A wise man fears and departs from evil,
But a fool rages and is self-confident.
17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
And a man of wicked intentions is hated.
18 The simple inherit folly,
But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19 The evil will bow before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 (P)The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor,
But [d]the rich has many (Q)friends.
21 He who despises his neighbor sins;
(R)But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.
22 Do they not go astray who devise evil?
But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.
23 In all labor there is profit,
But [e]idle chatter leads only to poverty.
24 The crown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is folly.
26 In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
27 (T)The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king’s honor,
But in the lack of people is the downfall of a prince.
31 (X)He who oppresses the poor reproaches (Y)his Maker,
But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
32 The wicked is banished in his wickedness,
But (Z)the righteous has a refuge in his death.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding,
But (AA)what is in the heart of fools is made known.
35 (AC)The king’s favor is toward a wise servant,
But his wrath is against him who causes shame.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:4 manger or feed trough
- Proverbs 14:9 Lit. guilt
- Proverbs 14:14 Lit. from above himself
- Proverbs 14:20 Lit. many are the lovers of the rich
- Proverbs 14:23 Lit. talk of the lips
- Proverbs 14:25 saves lives
- Proverbs 14:29 Lit. short of spirit
- Proverbs 14:34 shame or disgrace
Proverbs 14
Christian Standard Bible
2 Whoever lives with integrity fears the Lord,(C)
but the one who is devious in his ways despises him.(D)
3 The proud speech of a fool brings a rod of discipline,[a]
but the lips of the wise protect them.(E)
4 Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is empty,[b]
but an abundant harvest comes through the strength of an ox.
5 An honest witness does not deceive,
but a dishonest witness utters lies.(F)
6 A mocker seeks wisdom and doesn’t find it,
but knowledge comes easily to the perceptive.
7 Stay away from a foolish person;
you will gain no knowledge from his speech.(G)
8 The sensible person’s wisdom is to consider his way,
but the stupidity of fools deceives them.
9 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)
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)
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.
21 The one who despises his neighbor sins,(R)
but whoever shows kindness to the poor will be happy.(S)
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.
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)
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.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.