Proverbs 14  Legacy Standard Bible

14 The ^[a](A)wise woman builds her house,
But the woman of folly tears it down with her own hands.
² He who ^(B)walks in his uprightness fears Yahweh,
But he who is ^(C)devious in his ways despises Him.
³ In the mouth of the ignorant fool is a rod of lofty pride,
But ^(D)the lips of the wise will keep them.
⁴ Where no oxen are, the manger is clean,
But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.
⁵ A ^(E)faithful witness will not lie,
But a ^(F)false witness ^(G)breathes out lies.
⁶ A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none,
But knowledge is easy to one who has understanding.
⁷ Leave the ^(H)presence of a fool,
As you have not known lips of knowledge there.
⁸ The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But ^(I)the folly of fools is deceit.
⁹ Ignorant fools scoff at guilt,
But ^(J)among the upright there is favor.
¹⁰ The heart knows its own ^(K)bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its gladness.
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 man,
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 The one who turns back in his heart will be satisfied with his ^(P)ways,
But a good man will ^(Q)be satisfied ^[b]with his.
¹⁵ The simple believes everything,
But the prudent one discerns his steps.
¹⁶ A wise man fears and ^(R)turns away from evil,
But a fool gets angry and feels secure.
¹⁷ A quick-tempered man acts in folly,
And a man of evil schemes is hated.
¹⁸ The simple inherit folly,
But the prudent are ^[c]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 He who ^(U)despises his neighbor sins,
But how ^(V)blessed is he who is gracious to the ^[d]poor.
²² Will they not wander in error who ^(W)devise evil?
But lovingkindness and truth will be to those who devise good.
²³ In all painful labor there is profit,
But mere words from the lips lead only to want.
²⁴ The ^(X)crown of the wise is their riches,
But the folly of fools is folly.
²⁵ A truthful witness delivers souls,
But he who ^(Y)breathes out lies is deceitful.
²⁶ In the ^[e](Z)fear of Yahweh there is strong security,
And ^[f]his children will have refuge.
²⁷ The ^[g]fear of Yahweh is a fountain of life,
To turn aside from the snares of death.
²⁸ In a multitude of people is a king’s splendor,
But in the dearth of people is a prince’s ruin.
²⁹ He who is ^(AA)slow to anger has great discernment,
But he who is ^[h]quick-tempered raises up folly.
³⁰ A ^[i](AB)tranquil heart is life to the body,
But jealousy is ^(AC)rottenness to the bones.
³¹ He ^(AD)who oppresses the poor reproaches ^(AE)his Maker,
But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.
³² The wicked is ^(AF)thrust down by his own evil,
But the ^(AG)righteous takes refuge even in his death.
³³ Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding,
But in the midst of fools it is merely 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 insightfully,
But his fury is toward him who acts shamefully.