Proverbs 14

¹The wise woman builds her house,

but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.

²Those who walk uprightly fear the Lord,

but one who is devious in conduct despises him.

³The talk of fools is a rod for their backs,

but the lips of the wise preserve them.

⁴Where there are no oxen, there is no grain;

abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

⁵A faithful witness does not lie,

but a false witness breathes out lies.

⁶A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain,

but knowledge is easy for one who understands.

⁷Leave the presence of a fool,

for there you do not find words of knowledge.

⁸It is the wisdom of the clever to understand where they go,

but the folly of fools misleads.

⁹Fools mock at the guilt offering,

but the upright enjoy God’s favor.

¹⁰The heart knows its own bitterness,

and no stranger shares its joy.

¹¹The house of the wicked is destroyed,

but the tent of the upright flourishes.

¹²There is a way that seems right to a person,

but its end is the way to death.

¹³Even in laughter the heart is sad,

and the end of joy is grief.

¹⁴The perverse get what their ways deserve,

and the good, what their deeds deserve.

¹⁵The simple believe everything,

but the clever consider their steps.

¹⁶The wise are cautious and turn away from evil,

but the fool throws off restraint and is careless.

¹⁷One who is quick-tempered acts foolishly,

and the schemer is hated.

¹⁸The simple are adorned with folly,

but the clever are crowned with knowledge.

¹⁹The evil bow down before the good,

the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

²⁰The poor are disliked even by their neighbors,

but the rich have many friends.

²¹Those who despise their neighbors are sinners,

but happy are those who are kind to the poor.

²²Do they not err that plan evil?

Those who plan good find loyalty and faithfulness.

²³In all toil there is profit,

but mere talk leads only to poverty.

²⁴The crown of the wise is their wisdom,

but folly is the garland of fools.

²⁵A truthful witness saves lives,

but one who utters lies is a betrayer.

²⁶In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence,

and one’s children will have a refuge.

²⁷The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,

so that one may avoid the snares of death.

²⁸The glory of a king is a multitude of people;

without people a prince is ruined.

²⁹Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,

but one who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

³⁰A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh,

but passion makes the bones rot.

³¹Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker,

but those who are kind to the needy honor him.

³²The wicked are overthrown by their evildoing,

but the righteous find a refuge in their integrity.

³³Wisdom is at home in the mind of one who has understanding,

but it is not known in the heart of fools.

³⁴Righteousness exalts a nation,

but sin is a reproach to any people.

³⁵A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor,

but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.