Chapter
Verse

Proverbs chapter 14

English Standard Version

1 The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down. 2Whoever walks in uprightness fears the Lord, but he who is devious in his ways despises him. 3By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them. 4Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. 5 A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies. 6 A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding. 7Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge. 8The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving. 9 Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance. 10The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy. 11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed, 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 to death. 13Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief. 14The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways. 15 The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps. 16 One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless. 17A man of quick temper acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated. 18The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge. 19 The evil bow down before the good, the wicked at the gates of the righteous. 20 The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends. 21Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor. 22Do they not go astray who devise evil? Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness. 23In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty. 24The crown of the wise is their wealth, but the folly of fools brings folly. 25A truthful witness saves lives, but one who breathes out lies is deceitful. 26In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. 27The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. 28In a multitude of people is the glory of a king, but without people a prince is ruined. 29Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. 30A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot. 31Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him. 32 The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing, but the righteous finds refuge in his death. 33Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding, but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools. 34Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. 35A servant who deals wisely has the king 's favor, but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.
New International Version

New American Standard Bible

1The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish tears it down with her own hands. 2One who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, But one who is devious in his ways despises Him. 3In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back, But the lips of the wise will protect them. 4Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean; But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox. 5A trustworthy witness will not lie, But a false witness declares lies. 6A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none, But knowledge is easy for one who has understanding. 7Leave the presence of a fool, Or you will not discern words of knowledge. 8The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, But the foolishness of fools is deceit. 9Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is goodwill. 10The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy. 11The house of the wicked will be destroyed, But the tent of the upright will flourish. 12There is a way which seems right to a person, But its end is the way of death. 13Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, And the end of joy may be grief. 14One with a wayward heart will have his fill of his own ways, But a good person will be satisfied with his. 15The naive believes everything, But the sensible person considers his steps. 16A wise person is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless. 17A quick-tempered person acts foolishly, And a person of evil devices is hated. 18The naive inherit foolishness, But the sensible are crowned with knowledge. 19The evil will bow down before the good, And the wicked at the gates of the righteous. 20The poor is hated even by his neighbor, But those who love the rich are many. 21One who despises his neighbor sins, But one who is gracious to the poor is blessed. 22Will they who devise evil not go astray? But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good. 23In all labor there is profit, But mere talk leads only to poverty. 24The crown of the wise is their riches, But the foolishness of fools is simply foolishness. 25A truthful witness saves lives, But one who declares lies is deceitful. 26In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And his children will have refuge. 27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, By which one may avoid the snares of death. 28In a multitude of people is a king’s glory, But in the scarcity of people is a prince’s ruin. 29One who is slow to anger has great understanding; But one who is quick-tempered exalts foolishness. 30A tranquil heart is life to the body, But jealousy is rottenness to the bones. 31One who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker, But one who is gracious to the needy honors Him. 32The wicked is thrust down by his own wrongdoing, But the righteous has a refuge when he dies. 33Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding, But among fools it is made known. 34Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people. 35The king’s favor is toward a servant who acts wisely, But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.
Christian Standard Bible

New Living Translation

King James Version

New King James Version

1The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish pulls it down with her hands. 2He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him. 3In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, But the lips of the wise will preserve them. 4Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; But much increase comes by the strength of an ox. 5A faithful witness does not lie, But a false witness will utter lies. 6A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it, But knowledge is easy to him who understands. 7Go from the presence of a foolish man, When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge. 8The 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. 10The 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. 13Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, And the end of mirth may be grief. 14The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied from above. 15The 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. 17A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of wicked intentions is hated. 18The simple inherit folly, But the prudent are crowned with knowledge. 19The 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. 21He who despises his neighbor sins; But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he. 22Do they not go astray who devise evil? But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good. 23In all labor there is profit, But idle chatter leads only to poverty. 24The crown of the wise is their riches, But the foolishness of fools is folly. 25A true witness delivers souls, But a deceitful witness speaks lies. 26In 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. 28In 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 exalts folly. 30A 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. 32The wicked is banished in his wickedness, But the righteous has a refuge in his death. 33Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, But what is in the heart of fools is made known. 34Righteousness 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.

What does Proverbs chapter 14 mean?

The first verses of this section point out the consequences of wisdom, in contrast to the consequences of foolishness. This echoes other statements in the book of Proverbs (Proverbs 10:8–9; 11:8; 12:13; 13:6). Foolishness, defined as a rejection of God's truth and instruction (Psalm 14:1; Proverbs 1:7) leads to disaster. It also makes a person vulnerable to further false ideas. Those who wallow in such self-deception should be avoided (Proverbs 14:1–10).

A short segment of verses in the middle of this passage share a theme: the respective fates of the wicked and the righteous. The deceptive nature of sin can make rejecting God seem like a good idea, but the end result is tragedy. Those who follow godliness are at less risk of negative earthly consequences. They are also blessed with an eternal rescue. In either case, that which a person chooses—selfishness or godliness—is repaid to them (Proverbs 14:11–14).

The last, final segment of this chapter covers a broad range of topics. Among these are the importance of self-control, the danger of gullibility, the need to apply justice fairly to all, the benefits of a contented heart, and the cultural value of godly wisdom (Proverbs 14:15–35).

The following chapter continues this long compilation of Solomon's wise sayings.
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