Proverbs 14

American Standard Version

14 Every wise woman buildeth her house;
But ^[a]the foolish plucketh it down with her own hands.
² He that walketh in his uprightness feareth Jehovah;
But he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.
³ In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his pride;
But the lips of the wise shall preserve them.
⁴ Where no oxen are, the crib is clean;
But much increase is by the strength of the ox.
⁵ A faithful witness will not lie;
But a false witness ^[b]uttereth lies.
⁶ A scoffer seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not;
But knowledge is easy unto him that hath understanding.
^7 [c]Go into the presence of a foolish man,
And thou shalt 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 [d]A trespass-offering mocketh fools;
But among the upright there is ^[e]good will.
¹⁰ The heart knoweth its own bitterness;
And a stranger doth not intermeddle with its joy.
¹¹ The house of the wicked shall be overthrown;
But the tent of the upright shall flourish.
¹² There is a way which ^[f]seemeth right unto a man;
But the end thereof are the ways of death.
¹³ Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful;
And the end of mirth is heaviness.
¹⁴ The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways;
And a good man shall be satisfied from himself.
¹⁵ The simple believeth every word;
But the prudent man looketh well to his going.
¹⁶ A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil;
But the fool beareth himself insolently, and is confident.
¹⁷ He that is soon angry will deal foolishly;
And a man of wicked devices is hated.
¹⁸ The simple inherit folly;
But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
¹⁹ The evil bow down before the good;
And the wicked, at the gates of the righteous.
²⁰ The poor is hated even of his own neighbor;
But the rich hath many friends.
²¹ He that despiseth his neighbor sinneth;
But he that hath pity on the poor, happy is he.
^22 [g]Do they not err that devise evil?
But mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.
²³ In all labor there is profit;
But the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.
^24 [h]The crown of the wise is their riches;
But the folly of fools is only folly.
²⁵ A true witness delivereth souls;
But he that ^[i]uttereth lies causeth deceit.
²⁶ In the fear of Jehovah is strong confidence;
And ^[j]his children shall have a place of refuge.
²⁷ The fear of Jehovah is a fountain of life,
That one may depart from the snares of death.
²⁸ In the multitude of people is the king’s glory;
But in the want of people is the destruction of the prince.
²⁹ He that is slow to anger is of great understanding;
But he that is hasty of spirit ^[k]exalteth folly.
³⁰ A tranquil heart is the life of the flesh;
But ^[l]envy is the rottenness of the bones.
³¹ He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker;
But he that hath mercy on the needy honoreth him.
³² The wicked is thrust down in his ^[m]evil-doing;
But the righteous hath a refuge in his death.
³³ Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding;
^[n]But that which is in the inward part of fools is made known.
³⁴ Righteousness exalteth a nation;
But sin is a reproach to ^[o]any people.
³⁵ The king’s favor is toward a servant that dealeth wisely;
But his wrath will be against him that ^[p]causeth shame.