Proverbs 14

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

1The 1wise woman builds her house, But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.2He who 2walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, But he who is 3devious in his ways despises Him.3In the mouth of the foolish is a rod 4for his back, But 5the lips of the wise will protect them.4Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.5A 6trustworthy witness will not lie, But a 7false witness 89utters lies.6A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none, But knowledge is easy to one who has understanding.7Leave the 10presence of a fool, Or you will not 11discern 12words of knowledge.8The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, But 13the foolishness of fools is deceit.9Fools mock at 14sin, But 15among the upright there is 16good will.10The heart knows its own 17bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy.11The 18house of the wicked will be destroyed, But the tent of the upright will flourish.12There 19is a way which seems right to a man, But its 20end is the way of death.13Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, And the 21end of joy may be grief.14The backslider in heart will have his 22fill of his own ways, But a good man will 23be satisfied 24with his.15The 25naive believes everything, But the sensible man considers his steps.16A wise man 26is cautious and 27turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless.17A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of evil devices is hated.18The 28naive inherit foolishness, But the sensible are crowned with knowledge.19The 29evil will bow down before the good, And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.20The 30poor is hated even by his neighbor, But those who love the rich are many.21He who 31despises his neighbor sins, But 32happy is he who is gracious to the 33poor.22Will they not go astray who 34devise evil? But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.23In all labor there is profit, But 35mere talk leads only to poverty.24The 36crown of the wise is their riches, But the folly of fools is foolishness.25A truthful witness saves lives, But he who 3738utters lies is 39treacherous.26In the 4041fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And 42his children will have refuge.27The 43fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death.28In a multitude of people is a king’s glory, But in the dearth of people is a prince’s ruin.29He who is 44slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is 45quick-tempered exalts folly.30A 46tranquil heart is life to the body, But passion is 47rottenness to the bones.31He 48who oppresses the poor taunts 49his Maker, But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.32The wicked is 50thrust down by his 51wrongdoing, But the 52righteous has a refuge when he dies.33Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding, But in the 53hearts of fools it is made known.34Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people.35The king’s favor is toward a 54servant who acts wisely, But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.