Proverbs 14

Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked

1The 1wise woman builds her house, But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.2One who 2walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, But one who is 3devious in his ways despises Him.3In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back, But 4the lips of the wise will protect them.4Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean; But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.5A 5trustworthy witness will not lie, But a 6false witness 7declares lies.6A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none, But knowledge is easy for one who has understanding.7Leave the 8presence of a fool, Or you will not 9discern 10words of knowledge.8The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, But 11the foolishness of fools is deceit.9Fools mock at 12sin, But 13among the upright there is 14goodwill.10The heart knows its own 15bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy.11The 16house of the wicked will be destroyed, But the tent of the upright will flourish.12There 17is a way which seems right to a person, But its 18end is the way of death.13Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, And the 19end of joy may be grief.14One with a wayward heart will have his 20fill of his own ways, But a good person will 21be satisfied 22with his.15The naive believes everything, But the sensible person considers his steps.16A wise person 23is cautious and 24turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless.17A quick-tempered person acts foolishly, And a person of evil devices is hated.18The naive inherit foolishness, But the sensible are crowned with knowledge.19The 25evil will bow down before the good, And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.20The 26poor is hated even by his neighbor, But those who love the rich are many.21One who 27despises his neighbor sins, But 28one who is gracious to the 29poor is blessed.22Will they who 30devise evil not go astray? But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.23In all labor there is profit, But 31mere talk leads only to poverty.24The 32crown of the wise is their riches, But the foolishness of fools is simply foolishness.25A truthful witness saves lives, But one who 33declares lies is 34deceitful.26In 3536the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And 37his children will have refuge.2738The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, By which one may avoid the snares of death.28In a multitude of people is a king’s glory, But in the scarcity of people is a prince’s ruin.29One who is 39slow to anger has great understanding; But one who is 40quick-tempered exalts foolishness.30A 41tranquil heart is life to the body, But jealousy is 42rottenness to the bones.31One 43who oppresses the poor taunts 44his Maker, But one who is gracious to the needy honors Him.32The wicked is 45thrust down by his own wrongdoing, But the 46righteous has a refuge when he dies.33Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding, But among fools it is made known.34Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people.35The king’s favor is toward a 47servant who acts wisely, But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.