Proverbs 14 - New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked

14 The (A)wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.
2 One who (B)walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
But one who is (C)devious in his ways despises Him.
3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back,
But (D)the lips of the wise will protect them.
4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean;
But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.
5 A (E)trustworthy witness will not lie,
But a (F)false witness (G)declares lies.
6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none,
But knowledge is easy for one who has understanding.
7 Leave the (H)presence of a fool,
Or you will not [a]discern [b]words of knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,
But (I)the foolishness of fools is deceit.
9 Fools mock at [c]sin,
But (J)among the upright there is [d]goodwill.
10 The heart knows its own (K)bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.
11 The (L)house of the wicked will be destroyed,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There (M)is a way which seems right to a person,
But its (N)end is the way of death.
13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
And the (O)end of joy may be grief.
14 One with a wayward heart will have his (P)fill of his own ways,
But a good person will (Q)be satisfied [e]with his.
15 The naive believes everything,
But the sensible person considers his steps.
16 A wise person [f]is cautious and (R)turns away from evil,
But a fool is arrogant and careless.
17 A quick-tempered person acts foolishly,
And a person of evil devices is hated.
18 The naive inherit foolishness,
But the sensible are crowned with knowledge.
19 The (S)evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 The (T)poor is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.
21 One who (U)despises his neighbor sins,
But (V)one who is gracious to the [g]poor is blessed.
22 Will they who (W)devise evil not go astray?
But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.
23 In all labor there is profit,
But [h]mere talk leads only to poverty.
24 The (X)crown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is simply foolishness.
25 A truthful witness saves lives,
But one who (Y)declares lies is [i]deceitful.
26 In [j](Z)the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And [k]his children will have refuge.
27 [l]The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
By which one may avoid the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king’s glory,
But in the scarcity of people is a prince’s ruin.
29 One who is (AA)slow to anger has great understanding;
But one who is [m]quick-tempered exalts foolishness.
30 A (AB)tranquil heart is life to the body,
But jealousy is (AC)rottenness to the bones.
31 One (AD)who oppresses the poor taunts (AE)his Maker,
But one who is gracious to the needy honors Him.
32 The wicked is (AF)thrust down by his own wrongdoing,
But the (AG)righteous has a refuge when he dies.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding,
But among fools it is made known.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.
35 The king’s favor is toward a (AH)servant who acts wisely,
But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:7 Lit know
  2. Proverbs 14:7 Lit lips
  3. Proverbs 14:9 Lit guilt
  4. Proverbs 14:9 Or the favor of God
  5. Proverbs 14:14 Lit from himself
  6. Proverbs 14:16 Lit fears
  7. Proverbs 14:21 Or afflicted
  8. Proverbs 14:23 Lit word of lips
  9. Proverbs 14:25 Lit a fraud
  10. Proverbs 14:26 Or reverence for
  11. Proverbs 14:26 Or His
  12. Proverbs 14:27 Or Reverence for
  13. Proverbs 14:29 Lit short of spirit

Cross references

  1. Proverbs 14:1 : Ruth 4:11; Prov 31:10-27
  2. Proverbs 14:2 : Prov 19:1; 28:6
  3. Proverbs 14:2 : Prov 2:15
  4. Proverbs 14:3 : Prov 12:6
  5. Proverbs 14:5 : Rev 1:5; 3:14
  6. Proverbs 14:5 : Ex 23:1; Deut 19:16; Prov 6:19; 12:17
  7. Proverbs 14:5 : Prov 19:5
  8. Proverbs 14:7 : Prov 23:9
  9. Proverbs 14:8 : 1 Cor 3:19
  10. Proverbs 14:9 : Prov 3:34; 11:20
  11. Proverbs 14:10 : 1 Sam 1:10; Job 21:25
  12. Proverbs 14:11 : Job 8:15
  13. Proverbs 14:12 : Prov 12:15; 16:25
  14. Proverbs 14:12 : Rom 6:21
  15. Proverbs 14:13 : Eccl 2:1, 2
  16. Proverbs 14:14 : Prov 1:31; 12:21
  17. Proverbs 14:14 : Prov 12:14; 18:20
  18. Proverbs 14:16 : Job 28:28; Ps 34:14; Prov 3:7; 22:3
  19. Proverbs 14:19 : 1 Sam 2:36; Prov 11:29
  20. Proverbs 14:20 : Prov 19:7
  21. Proverbs 14:21 : Prov 11:12
  22. Proverbs 14:21 : Ps 41:1; Prov 19:17; 28:8
  23. Proverbs 14:22 : Ps 36:4; Prov 3:29; 12:2; Mic 2:1
  24. Proverbs 14:24 : Prov 10:22; 13:8; 21:20
  25. Proverbs 14:25 : Prov 14:5
  26. Proverbs 14:26 : Prov 18:10; 19:23; Is 33:6
  27. Proverbs 14:29 : Prov 16:32; 19:11; Eccl 7:9; James 1:19
  28. Proverbs 14:30 : Prov 15:13
  29. Proverbs 14:30 : Prov 12:4; Hab 3:16
  30. Proverbs 14:31 : Prov 17:5; Matt 25:40; 1 John 3:17
  31. Proverbs 14:31 : Job 31:15; Prov 22:2
  32. Proverbs 14:32 : Prov 6:15; 24:16
  33. Proverbs 14:32 : Gen 49:18; Ps 16:11; 17:15; 37:37; 73:24; 2 Cor 1:9; 5:8; 2 Tim 4:18
  34. Proverbs 14:35 : Matt 24:45, 47; 25:21, 23

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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)

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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 Century Version (NCV)

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