Proverbs 14 - Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)

More Wise Ways to Live

14 A wise woman builds her house,
but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.
2 Whoever walks in the right way fears the Lord,
but a person who is devious in his ways despises him.
3 In the mouth of a stubborn fool there is a proud rod,[a]
but the lips of the wise protect them.
4 Without cattle the manger is empty,
but a great harvest is gained by the strength of an ox.
5 A faithful witness does not lie,
but a false witness breathes lies.
6 A scoffer seeks wisdom yet finds none,
but knowledge comes easily to a discerning person.
7 Keep away from a foolish person,
since you will not learn anything from his lips.
8 The wisdom of a sensible[b] person is that he understands his way,
but the stupidity of fools is deceptive.[c]
9 Fools scoff at the idea of guilt,[d]
but favor is found among the upright.
10 A heart knows its own bitterness,
and no stranger can share its joy.
11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
but the tent of the upright will thrive.
12 There is a way that seems right to a man,
but in the end it is the road to death.
13 Even in laughter a heart can ache,
and the end of joy may be grief.
14 A backslider[e] will be satisfied with his ways,[f]
and a good man will be satisfied with his.
15 A gullible person trusts anything,
but a sensible person considers his steps.
16 A wise person fears and turns from evil,
but a fool is rash and overconfident.
17 A short-tempered person acts foolishly,
and a schemer is hated.
18 Gullible people inherit stupidity,
but sensible people embrace knowledge.
19 Evil people will bow down to good people,
and wicked people will bow at the gates of the righteous.
20 A poor person is hated even by his neighbor,
but those who love a rich person are many.
21 A person who despises his neighbor is sinning,
but one who is kind to the oppressed is blessed.
22 Don’t those who plan evil go astray?
But those who plan to do good find mercy and truth.
23 In all hard work there is gain,
but empty talk leads only to poverty.
24 Their wealth is a crown for the wise,
but the stupidity of fools is just stupidity.
25 A truthful witness saves lives,
but a liar breathes deceit.
26 In the fear of the Lord a person gains strong confidence,
and his children will have a refuge.
27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life.
It turns a person away from the snares of death.
28 A large population brings glory to a king.
Without people a ruler is ruined.
29 A patient person has great understanding,
but an impatient person exalts foolishness.
30 A contented heart[g] gives life to the flesh,
but envy rots the bones.
31 A person who oppresses the poor insults his Maker,
but one who is gracious to the needy honors him.
32 A wicked person is brought down by his own evil,
but a righteous person finds refuge even at his death.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of the discerning.
It can be recognized even among fools.
34 Righteousness lifts up a nation,
but sin brings shame to a people.
35 A king favors a servant who acts wisely,
but he is furious with one who acts shamefully.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:3 The meaning of a proud rod is uncertain, but there is no textual support for the common emendation, a rod for his back.
  2. Proverbs 14:8 Or prudent
  3. Proverbs 14:8 Or deceives them
  4. Proverbs 14:9 Or the need for a guilt offering
  5. Proverbs 14:14 Or a person who deserts God
  6. Proverbs 14:14 Or will be repaid for his ways
  7. Proverbs 14:30 Literally a healing heart

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

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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...
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