Proverbs 14

Proverbs 14

New King James Version (NKJV)

14 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,
But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.

³ In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,
But the lips of the wise will preserve them.

⁴ Where no oxen are, the trough is clean;
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.

⁵ A faithful witness does not lie,
But a false witness will utter lies.

⁶ A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it,
But knowledge is easy to him who understands.
⁷ Go from the presence of a foolish man,
When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.

⁸ The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But the folly of fools is deceit.

⁹ Fools mock at sin,
But among the upright there is favor.

¹⁰ The heart knows its own bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.

¹¹ The house of the wicked will be overthrown,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.

¹² There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

¹³ Even in laughter the heart may sorrow,
And the end of mirth may be grief.

¹⁴ The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways,
But a good man will be satisfied from above.^[a]

¹⁵ The simple believes every word,
But the prudent considers well his steps.
¹⁶ A wise man fears and departs from evil,
But a fool rages and is self-confident.
¹⁷ A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
And a man of wicked intentions is hated.
¹⁸ The simple inherit folly,
But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
¹⁹ The evil will bow before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

²⁰ The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor,
But the rich has many friends.
²¹ He who despises his neighbor sins;
But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.

²² Do they not go astray who devise evil?
But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.

²³ In all labor there is profit,
But idle chatter^[b] leads only to poverty.

²⁴ The crown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is folly.

²⁵ A true witness delivers souls,
But a deceitful witness speaks lies.

²⁶ In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
²⁷ The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.

²⁸ In a multitude of people is a king’s honor,
But in the lack of people is the downfall of a prince.

²⁹ He who is slow to wrath has great understanding,
But he who is impulsive^[c] exalts folly.

³⁰ A sound heart is life to the body,
But envy is rottenness to the bones.

³¹ He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker,
But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.

³² The wicked is banished in his wickedness,
But the righteous has a refuge in his death.

³³ Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding,
But what is in the heart of fools is made known.

³⁴ Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a reproach to any people.

³⁵ The king’s favor is toward a wise servant,
But his wrath is against him who causes shame.