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Proverbs 14
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Proverbs 14
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 14
1 Wisdom builds her house,
but Folly tears hers down with her own hands.[a]
2 Those who walk uprightly fear the Lord,
but those who are devious in their ways spurn him.
3 In the mouth of the fool is a rod for pride,
but the lips of the wise preserve them.
4 Where there are no oxen, the crib is clean;
but abundant crops come through the strength of the bull.[b]
5 A trustworthy witness does not lie,
but one who spouts lies makes a lying witness.[c](A)
6 The scoffer seeks wisdom in vain,
but knowledge is easy for the intelligent.
7 Go from the face of the fool;
you get no knowledge from such lips.
8 The wisdom of the shrewd enlightens their way,
but the folly of fools is deceit.[d]
9 The wicked scorn a guilt offering,
but the upright find acceptance.
10 The heart knows its own bitterness,
and its joy no stranger shares.[e]
11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
but the tent of the upright will flourish.[f](B)
12 Sometimes a way seems right,
but the end of it leads to death!(C)
13 Even in laughter the heart may be sad,
and the end of joy may be sorrow.
14 From their own ways turncoats are sated,
from their own actions, the loyal.
15 The naive believe everything,
but the shrewd watch their steps.[g]
16 The wise person is cautious and turns from evil;
the fool is reckless and gets embroiled.
17 The quick-tempered make fools of themselves,
and schemers are hated.
18 The simple have folly as an adornment,
but the shrewd wear knowledge as a crown.[h]
19 The malicious bow down before the good,
and the wicked, at the gates of the just.
20 Even by their neighbors the poor are despised,
but a rich person’s friends are many.(D)
21 Whoever despises the hungry comes up short,
but happy the one who is kind to the poor![i]
22 Do not those who plan evil go astray?
But those who plan good win steadfast loyalty.
23 In all labor there is profit,
but mere talk tends only to loss.
24 The crown of the wise is wealth;
the diadem of fools is folly.
25 The truthful witness saves lives,
but whoever utters lies is a betrayer.
26 The fear of the Lord is a strong defense,
a refuge even for one’s children.
27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
turning one from the snares of death.
28 A multitude of subjects is the glory of the king;
but if his people are few, a prince is ruined.
29 Long-suffering results in great wisdom;
a short temper raises folly high.[j](E)
30 A tranquil mind gives life to the body,
but jealousy rots the bones.
31 Those who oppress the poor revile their Maker,
but those who are kind to the needy honor him.(F)
32 The wicked are overthrown by their wickedness,
but the just find a refuge in their integrity.
33 Wisdom can remain silent in the discerning heart,
but among fools she must make herself known.[k](G)
34 Justice exalts a nation,
but sin is a people’s disgrace.[l]
35 The king favors the skillful servant,
but the shameless one incurs his wrath.
Footnotes
- 14:1 The relationship between Wisdom, personified as a woman, and building a house is a constant theme. As elsewhere, the book here warns against the wrong woman and praises the right woman.
- 14:4 If one has no animals, one does not have the burden of keeping the crib full, but without them one will have no crops to fill the barn. Colon B reverses the sense of colon A and also reverses the consonants of bar (“clean”) to rab (“abundant”).
- 14:5 On discerning the truthfulness of witnesses; see 12:17.
- 14:8 Wisdom enables the shrewd to know their path is right but folly leads fools on the wrong path (“deceit”), which calls down retribution.
- 14:10 The heart in Proverbs is where a person’s sense impressions are stored and reflected upon. It is thus one’s most personal and individual part. One’s sorrows and joys (= the full range of emotions) cannot be shared fully with another. Verse 13 expresses the same individuality of the human person.
- 14:11 The traditional fixed pair “house” and “tent” is used to express the paradox that a house can be less secure than a tent if there is no justice.
- 14:15 The naive gullibly rely on others’ words whereas the shrewd watch their own steps.
- 14:18 The inner quality of a person, simple or wise, will eventually be revealed.
- 14:21 The paradox is that anyone who spurns the hungry will lack something, but anyone who shows mercy (presumably by giving to the poor) will gain prosperity.
- 14:29 A series of puns on short and long; lit., “long of nostrils (idiom for “patient”), large in wisdom, / short in breath (idiom for “impatient”), makes folly tall.”
- 14:33 Wisdom can remain silent in a wise person as a welcome friend. But it must speak out among fools, for the dissonance is so strong.
- 14:34 The rare noun “disgrace” occurs elsewhere only in Lv 20:17. In measuring the greatness of a nation, one is tempted to consider territory, wealth, history, but the most important criterion is its relationship to God (“justice”).
Proverbs 14
New American Standard Bible
Proverbs 14
New American Standard Bible
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.
2 One who (B)walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
But one who is (C)devious in his ways despises Him.
3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back,
But (D)the lips of the wise will protect them.
4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean;
But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.
5 A (E)trustworthy witness will not lie,
But a (F)false witness (G)declares lies.
6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none,
But knowledge is easy for one who has understanding.
7 Leave the (H)presence of a fool,
Or you will not [a]discern [b]words of knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,
But (I)the foolishness of fools is deceit.
9 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
- Proverbs 14:7 Lit know
- Proverbs 14:7 Lit lips
- Proverbs 14:9 Lit guilt
- Proverbs 14:9 Or the favor of God
- Proverbs 14:14 Lit from himself
- Proverbs 14:16 Lit fears
- Proverbs 14:21 Or afflicted
- Proverbs 14:23 Lit word of lips
- Proverbs 14:25 Lit a fraud
- Proverbs 14:26 Or reverence for
- Proverbs 14:26 Or His
- Proverbs 14:27 Or Reverence for
- Proverbs 14:29 Lit short of spirit
Proverbs 14
New International Version
Proverbs 14
New International Version
14 The wise woman builds her house,(A)
but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.
2 Whoever fears the Lord walks uprightly,
but those who despise him are devious in their ways.
4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty,
but from the strength of an ox(D) come abundant harvests.
5 An honest witness does not deceive,
but a false witness pours out lies.(E)
6 The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none,
but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.(F)
7 Stay away from a fool,
for you will not find knowledge on their lips.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways,(G)
but the folly of fools is deception.(H)
9 Fools mock at making amends for sin,
but goodwill is found among the upright.
10 Each heart knows its own bitterness,
and no one else can share its joy.
13 Even in laughter(M) the heart may ache,
and rejoicing may end in grief.
15 The simple believe anything,
but the prudent give thought to their steps.(P)
17 A quick-tempered person(S) does foolish things,(T)
and the one who devises evil schemes is hated.(U)
18 The simple inherit folly,
but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19 Evildoers will bow down in the presence of the good,
and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.(V)
20 The poor are shunned even by their neighbors,
but the rich have many friends.(W)
22 Do not those who plot evil go astray?(Z)
But those who plan what is good find[a] love and faithfulness.
23 All hard work brings a profit,
but mere talk leads only to poverty.
24 The wealth of the wise is their crown,
but the folly of fools yields folly.(AA)
25 A truthful witness saves lives,
but a false witness is deceitful.(AB)
26 Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress,(AC)
and for their children it will be a refuge.(AD)
28 A large population is a king’s glory,
but without subjects a prince is ruined.(AG)
29 Whoever is patient has great understanding,(AH)
but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.(AI)
30 A heart at peace gives life to the body,
but envy rots the bones.(AJ)
31 Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,(AK)
but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.(AL)
32 When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down,(AM)
but even in death the righteous seek refuge in God.(AN)
33 Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning(AO)
and even among fools she lets herself be known.[b]
34 Righteousness exalts a nation,(AP)
but sin condemns any people.
35 A king delights in a wise servant,
but a shameful servant arouses his fury.(AQ)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:22 Or show
- Proverbs 14:33 Hebrew; Septuagint and Syriac discerning / but in the heart of fools she is not known
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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