Proverbs 14

¹Wisdom builds her house,

but folly with her own hands tears it down.

²He who walks in uprightness fears the Lord,

but he who is devious in his ways despises him.

³The talk of a fool is a rod for his back,

but the lips of the wise will preserve them.

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

but 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 a man of understanding.

⁷Leave the presence of a fool,

for there you do not meet words of knowledge.

⁸The wisdom of a prudent man is to discern his way,

but the folly of fools is deceiving.

⁹God scorns the wicked,

but the upright enjoy his favor.

¹⁰The heart knows its own bitterness,

and no stranger shares its joy.

¹¹The house of the wicked will be destroyed,

but the tent of the upright will flourish.

¹²There is a way which seems right to a man,

but its end is the way to death.

¹³Even in laughter the heart is sad,

and the end of joy is grief.

¹⁴A perverse man will be filled with the fruit of his ways,

and a good man with the fruit of his deeds.

¹⁵The simple believes everything,

but the prudent looks where he is going.

¹⁶A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil,

but a fool throws off restraint and is careless.

¹⁷A man of quick temper acts foolishly,

but a man of discretion is patient.

¹⁸The simple acquire folly,

but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

¹⁹The evil bow down before the good,

the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

²⁰The poor is disliked even by his neighbor,

but the rich has many friends.

²¹He who despises his neighbor is a sinner,

but happy is he who is kind to the poor.

²²Do they not err that devise evil?

Those who devise good meet loyalty and faithfulness.

²³In all toil there is profit,

but mere talk tends only to want.

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 his children will have a refuge.

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

that one may avoid the snares of death.

²⁸In a multitude of people is the glory of a king,

but without people a prince is ruined.

²⁹He who is slow to anger has great understanding,

but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

³⁰A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh,

but passion makes the bones rot.

³¹He who oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,

but he who is kind to the needy honors him.

³²The wicked is overthrown through his evil-doing,

but the righteous finds refuge through his integrity.

³³Wisdom abides in the mind of a man of 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.