Proverbs 14 (New American Standard)

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

1 The ¹wise woman builds her house, But the foolish tears it down with her own hands. 2 He who ²walks in his uprightness fears the LORD, But he who is ³devious in his ways despises Him. 3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod ^afor his back, But ⁴the lips of the wise will protect them. 4 Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox. 5 A ⁵trustworthy witness will not lie, But a ⁶false witness ^b7utters lies. 6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none, But knowledge is easy to one who has understanding. 7 Leave the ⁸presence of a fool, Or you will not ^cdiscern ^dwords of knowledge. 8 The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, But ⁹the foolishness of fools is deceit. 9 Fools mock at ^esin, But ¹⁰among the upright there is ^fgood will. 10 The heart knows its own ¹¹bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy. 11 The ¹²house of the wicked will be destroyed, But the tent of the upright will flourish. 12 There ¹³is a way which seems right to a man, But its ¹⁴end is the way of death. 13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, And the ¹⁵end of joy may be grief. 14 The backslider in heart will have his ¹⁶fill of his own ways, But a good man will ¹⁷be satisfied ^gwith his. 15 The ^hnaive believes everything, But the sensible man considers his steps. 16 A wise man ⁱis cautious and ¹⁸turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless. 17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of evil devices is hated. 18 The ^jnaive inherit foolishness, But the sensible are crowned with knowledge. 19 The ¹⁹evil will bow down before the good, And the wicked at the gates of the righteous. 20 The ²⁰poor is hated even by his neighbor, But those who love the rich are many. 21 He who ²¹despises his neighbor sins, But ²²happy is he who is gracious to the ^kpoor. 22 Will they not go astray who ²³devise evil ? But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good. 23 In all labor there is profit, But ^lmere talk leads only to poverty. 24 The ²⁴crown of the wise is their riches, But the folly of fools is foolishness. 25 A truthful witness saves lives, But he who ^m25utters lies is ⁿtreacherous. 26 In the ^o26fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And ^phis children will have refuge. 27 The ^qfear of the LORD is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death. 28 In a multitude of people is a king's glory, But in the dearth of people is a prince's ruin. 29 He who is ²⁷slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is ^rquick-tempered exalts folly. 30 A ²⁸tranquil heart is life to the body, But passion is ²⁹rottenness to the bones. 31 He ³⁰who oppresses the poor taunts ³¹his Maker, But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him. 32 The wicked is ³²thrust down by his ^swrongdoing, But the ³³righteous has a refuge when he dies. 33 Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding, But in the ^thearts of 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 ³⁴servant who acts wisely, But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.