Proverbs 14 - Amplified Bible (AMP)

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

14 The wise woman builds her house [on a foundation of godly precepts, and her household thrives],
But the foolish one [who lacks spiritual insight] tears it down with her own hands [by ignoring godly principles].
2
He who walks in uprightness [reverently] fears the Lord [and obeys and worships Him with profound respect],
But he who is devious in his ways despises Him.
3
In the mouth of the [arrogant] [a]fool [who rejects God] is a rod for his back,
But the lips of the wise [when they speak with godly wisdom] will protect them.
4
Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
But much revenue [because of good crops] comes by the strength of the ox.
5
A faithful and trustworthy witness will not lie,
But a false witness speaks lies.
6
A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none [for his ears are closed to wisdom],
But knowledge is easy for one who understands [because he is willing to learn].
7
Leave the presence of a [shortsighted] fool,
For you will not find knowledge or hear godly wisdom from his lips.
8
The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,
But the foolishness of [shortsighted] fools is deceit.
9
Fools mock sin [but sin mocks the fools],
But among the upright there is good will and the favor and blessing of God.(A)
10
The heart knows its own bitterness,
And no stranger shares its joy.
11
The house of the wicked will be overthrown,
But the tent of the upright will thrive.
12
There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him,
But its end is the way of death.
13
Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
And the end of joy may be grief.
14
The backslider in heart will have his fill with his own [rotten] ways,
But a good man will be satisfied with his ways [the godly thought and action which his heart pursues and in which he delights].
15
The naive or inexperienced person [is easily misled and] believes every word he hears,
But the prudent man [is discreet and astute and] considers well where he is going.
16
A wise man suspects danger and cautiously avoids evil,
But the fool is arrogant and careless.
17
A quick-tempered man acts foolishly and without self-control,
And a man of wicked schemes is hated.
18
The naive [are unsophisticated and easy to exploit and] inherit foolishness,
But the sensible [are thoughtful and far-sighted and] are crowned with knowledge.
19
The evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked [will bow down] at the gates of the righteous.
20
The poor man is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.
21
He who despises his neighbor sins [against God and his fellow man],
But happy [blessed and favored by God] is he who is gracious and merciful to the poor.
22
Do they not go astray who devise evil and wander from the way of righteousness?
But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.
23
In all labor there is profit,
But mere talk leads only to poverty.
24
The crown of the wise is their wealth [of wisdom],
But the foolishness of [closed-minded] fools is [nothing but] folly.
25
A truthful witness saves lives,
But he who speaks lies is treacherous.
26
In the [reverent] fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And His children will [always] have a place of refuge.
27
The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that leads to obedience and worship] is a fountain of life,
So that one may avoid the snares of death.(B)
28
In a multitude of people is a king’s glory,
But in a lack of people is a [pretentious] prince’s ruin.
29
He who is slow to anger has great understanding [and profits from his self-control],
But he who is quick-tempered exposes and exalts his foolishness [for all to see].(C)
30
A calm and peaceful and tranquil heart is life and health to the body,
But passion and envy are like rottenness to the bones.
31
He who oppresses the poor taunts and insults his Maker,
But he who is kind and merciful and gracious to the needy honors Him.(D)
32
The wicked is overthrown through his wrongdoing,
But the righteous has hope and confidence and a refuge [with God] even in death.
33
Wisdom rests [silently] in the heart of one who has understanding,
But what is in the heart of [shortsighted] fools is made known.(E)
34
Righteousness [moral and spiritual integrity and virtuous character] exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.
35
The king’s favor and good will are toward a servant who acts wisely and discreetly,
But his anger and wrath are toward him who acts shamefully.(F)

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:3 See note 1:7.

Cross references

  1. Proverbs 14:9 : Prov 10:23
  2. Proverbs 14:27 : John 4:10, 14
  3. Proverbs 14:29 : Prov 16:32; James 1:19
  4. Proverbs 14:31 : Prov 17:5; Matt 25:40, 45
  5. Proverbs 14:33 : Is 32:6
  6. Proverbs 14:35 : Matt 24:45, 47

You Might Also Like:

Proverbs 14 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

14 Every wise woman hath builded her house, And the foolish with her hands breaketh it down. 2 Whoso is walking in his uprightness is fearing Jehovah, And the perverted [in] his ways is despising Him. 3 In the mouth of a fool [is] a rod of pride, And the lips of the wise preserve them. 4 Without oxe...
Read More

Proverbs 14 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

14 A wise woman buildeth her house; and an unwise woman shall destroy with hands, that is, with her evil works, an house builded. (A wise woman buildeth up her own house; but an unwise woman shall destroy with her own hands, that is, with her own evil works, the house that she hath built.) 2 A man g...
Read More

Proverbs 14 - World English Bible (WEB)

14 Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands.2 He who walks in his uprightness fears Yahweh, but he who is perverse in his ways despises him.3 The fool’s talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them.4 Where no oxen are, the crib i...
Read More

Proverbs 14 - The Voice (VOICE)

14 A wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one picks it to splinters with her own hands.2 Whoever travels through life with integrity respects the Eternal, but whoever turns from it hates Him.3 A fool’s words betray his pride and invite punishment, but the humble speech of the wise will spare t...
Read More

Proverbs 14 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Wisdom Builds Up, Folly Tears Down14 A wise woman builds her house,but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.2 The one who walks uprightly fears Adonai,but one devious in his ways despises Him.3 In the mouth of a fool is a rod for his back,but the lips of the wise protect them. 4 Where ther...
Read More

Proverbs 14 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

14 Wisdom[a] builds her house,but folly with her own hands tears it down.2 He who walks in uprightness fears the Lord, but he who is devious in his ways despises him.3 The talk of a fool is a rod for his back,[b] but the lips of the wise will preserve them.4 Where there are no oxen, there is no[c] g...
Read More

Proverbs 14 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

14 Wisdom[a] builds her house,but folly with her own hands tears it down.2 He who walks in uprightness fears the Lord, but he who is devious in his ways despises him.3 The talk of a fool is a rod for his back,[b] but the lips of the wise will preserve them.4 Where there are no oxen, there is no[c] g...
Read More

Proverbs 14 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

14 The wise woman[a] builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.2 Those who walk uprightly fear the Lord, but one who is devious in conduct despises him.3 The talk of fools is a rod for their backs,[b] but the lips of the wise preserve them.4 Where there are no oxen, there is...
Read More

Proverbs 14 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

14 The wise woman[a] builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.2 Those who walk uprightly fear the Lord, but one who is devious in conduct despises him.(A)3 The talk of fools is a rod for their backs,[b] but the lips of the wise preserve them.(B)4 Where there are no oxen, th...
Read More

Proverbs 14 - New Living Translation (NLT)

14 A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands. 2 Those who follow the right path fear the Lord; those who take the wrong path despise him. 3 A fool’s proud talk becomes a rod that beats him, but the words of the wise keep them safe. 4 Without oxen a stable sta...
Read More

Proverbs 14 - New Life Version (NLV)

14 The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish woman tears it down with her own hands. 2 He who walks in honor fears the Lord, but he who is sinful in his ways hates Him. 3 A foolish man’s talk brings a stick to his back, but the lips of the wise will keep them safe. 4 There is no grain where t...
Read More

Proverbs 14 - New King James Version (NKJV)

The Ways of Life and Death14 The wise woman builds her house,But the foolish pulls it down with her hands. 2 He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,(A)But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him. 3 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,(B)But the lips of the wise will preserve them. 4...
Read More

Proverbs 14 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

14 The wise woman builds her house, 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. 3 A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride, but the lips of the wise protect them. 4 Where there are no oxen, the man...
Read More

Proverbs 14 - New International Version (NIV)

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. 3 A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride,(B) but the lips of the wise protect them.(C) 4 Where there are no oxen...
Read More

Proverbs 14 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

14 A wise woman builds her house. But a foolish woman tears hers down with her own hands. 2 Whoever has respect for the Lord lives a good life. But those who hate him walk down an evil path. 3 The proud words of a foolish person sting like a whip. But the things wise people say keep them safe. 4 Whe...
Read More

Proverbs 14 - New Century Version (NCV)

14 A wise woman strengthens her family, but a foolish woman destroys hers by what she does. 2 People who live good lives respect the Lord, but those who live evil lives don’t. 3 Fools will be punished for their proud words, but the words of the wise will protect them. 4 When there are no oxen, no fo...
Read More