14 A wise woman builds her house,
while a foolish woman tears hers down with her own hands.
2 Those who walk with integrity fear the Lord,
but those who take a crooked path despise him.
3 Pride sprouts in the mouth of a fool,[a]
but the lips of the wise protect them.
4 When there are no oxen, the stall is clean,
but when there is a strong bull, there is abundant produce.
5 A truthful witness doesn’t lie,
but a false witness spews lies.
6 A mocker searches for wisdom and gets none,
but knowledge comes quickly to the intelligent.
7 Stay away from fools,
for you won’t learn wise speech there.
8 By their wisdom the prudent understand their way,
but the stupidity of fools deceives them.
9 Fools mock a compensation offering,
but favor is with those who do right.
10 The heart knows its own distress;
another person can’t share its joy.
11 The house of the wicked is destroyed,
but the tent flourishes for those who do right.
12 There is a path that may seem straight to someone,
but in the end it is a path to death.
13 The heart feels pain even in laughter,
and in the end, joy turns to sorrow.
14 Rebellious hearts receive satisfaction from their ways;
the good receive the due reward for their deeds.
15 The naive believe anything,
but the prudent give thought to their steps.
16 The wise are careful and avoid evil,
but fools become excited and overconfident.
17 Short-tempered people make stupid mistakes,
and schemers are hated.
18 Stupidity is the lot of the naive,
but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19 Evil people will bow down before the good;
wicked people are at the gates of the righteous.
20 Even their neighbors hate the poor,
but many love the wealthy.
21 Those who despise their neighbors are sinners,
but happy are those who are kind to the needy.
22 Don’t those who plan evil go astray?
Those who plan good receive loyalty and faithfulness.
23 There is profit in hard work,
but mere talk leads to poverty.
24 Wealth is the crown of the wise,
and the folly of fools is folly.
25 A truthful witness saves lives,
but a deceiver proclaims lies.
26 In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence
and refuge for one’s children.
27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
turning people away from deathtraps.
28 A king’s glory is a large population,
but a dwindling people is a ruler’s ruin.
29 Patience leads to abundant understanding,
but impatience leads to stupid mistakes.
30 A peaceful mind gives life to the body,
but jealousy rots the bones.
31 Those who exploit the powerless anger their maker,
while those who are kind to the poor honor God.
32 The wicked are thrown down by their own evil,
but the righteous find refuge even in death.
33 Wisdom resides in an understanding heart,
but it’s not[b] known in fools.
34 Righteousness dignifies a nation,
but sin disgraces a people.
35 The king favors an insightful servant,
but is furious at a shameful one.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:3 Heb uncertain
- Proverbs 14:33 LXX; MT lacks not.