The Ways of Life and Death

14 The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.

He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
(A)But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.

In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,
(B)But the lips of the wise will preserve them.

Where no oxen are, the [a]trough is clean;
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.

A (C)faithful witness does not lie,
But a false witness will utter (D)lies.

A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it,
But (E)knowledge is easy to him who understands.
Go from the presence of a foolish man,
When you do not perceive in him the lips of (F)knowledge.
The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But the folly of fools is deceit.

(G)Fools mock at [b]sin,
But among the upright there is favor.

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.

12 (I)There is a way that seems right to a man,
But (J)its end is the way of (K)death.

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.

25 A true witness [f]delivers (S)souls,
But a deceitful witness speaks lies.

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.

29 (U)He who is slow to wrath has great understanding,
But he who is [g]impulsive exalts folly.

30 A sound heart is life to the body,
But (V)envy is (W)rottenness to the bones.

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.

34 Righteousness exalts a (AB)nation,
But sin is a [h]reproach to any people.

35 (AC)The king’s favor is toward a wise servant,
But his wrath is against him who causes shame.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:4 manger or feed trough
  2. Proverbs 14:9 Lit. guilt
  3. Proverbs 14:14 Lit. from above himself
  4. Proverbs 14:20 Lit. many are the lovers of the rich
  5. Proverbs 14:23 Lit. talk of the lips
  6. Proverbs 14:25 saves lives
  7. Proverbs 14:29 Lit. short of spirit
  8. Proverbs 14:34 shame or disgrace

14 Wisdom[a] builds her house,
but folly with her own hands tears it down.
He who walks in uprightness fears the Lord,
    but he who is devious in his ways despises him.
The talk of a fool is a rod for his back,[b]
    but the lips of the wise will preserve them.
Where there are no oxen, there is no[c] grain;
    but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.
A faithful witness does not lie,
    but a false witness breathes out lies.
A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain,
    but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.
Leave the presence of a fool,
    for there you do not meet words of knowledge.
The wisdom of a prudent man is to discern his way,
    but the folly of fools is deceiving.
God scorns the wicked,[d]
    but the upright enjoy his favor.
10 The heart knows its own bitterness,
    and no stranger shares its joy.
11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
    but the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There is a way which seems right to a man,
    but its end is the way to death.[e]
13 Even in laughter the heart is sad,
    and the end of joy is grief.
14 A perverse man will be filled with the fruit of his ways,
    and a good man with the fruit of his deeds.[f]
15 The simple believes everything,
    but the prudent looks where he is going.
16 A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil,
    but a fool throws off restraint and is careless.
17 A man of quick temper acts foolishly,
    but a man of discretion is patient.[g]
18 The simple acquire folly,
    but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19 The evil bow down before the good,
    the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 The poor is disliked even by his neighbor,
    but the rich has many friends.
21 He who despises his neighbor is a sinner,
    but happy is he who is kind to the poor.
22 Do they not err that devise evil?
    Those who devise good meet loyalty and faithfulness.
23 In all toil there is profit,
    but mere talk tends only to want.
24 The crown of the wise is their wisdom,[h]
    but folly is the garland[i] of fools.
25 A truthful witness saves lives,
    but one who utters lies is a betrayer.
26 In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence,
    and his children will have a refuge.
27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
    that one may avoid the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is the glory of a king,
    but without people a prince is ruined.
29 He who is slow to anger has great understanding,
    but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
30 A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh,
    but passion makes the bones rot.
31 He who oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
    but he who is kind to the needy honors him.
32 The wicked is overthrown through his evil-doing,
    but the righteous finds refuge through his integrity.[j]
33 Wisdom abides in the mind of a man of understanding,
    but it is not[k] known in the heart of fools.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation,
    but sin is a reproach to any people.
35 A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor,
    but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:1 Heb Wisdom of women
  2. Proverbs 14:3 Cn: Heb a rod of pride
  3. Proverbs 14:4 Cn: Heb a manger of
  4. Proverbs 14:9 Cn: Heb obscure
  5. Proverbs 14:12 Heb ways of death
  6. Proverbs 14:14 Cn: Heb from upon him
  7. Proverbs 14:17 Gk: Heb is hated
  8. Proverbs 14:24 Cn Compare Gk: Heb riches
  9. Proverbs 14:24 Cn: Heb folly
  10. Proverbs 14:32 Gk Syr: Heb in his death
  11. Proverbs 14:33 Gk Syr: Heb lacks not