Proverbs 14:2-25

²He who goes on his way in righteousness has before him the fear of the Lord; but he whose ways are twisted gives him no honour.

³In the mouth of the foolish man is a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will keep them safe.

⁴Where there are no oxen, their food-place is clean; but much increase comes through the strength of the ox.

⁵A true witness does not say what is false, but a false witness is breathing out deceit.

⁶The hater of authority, searching for wisdom, does not get it; but knowledge comes readily to the open-minded man.

⁷Go away from the foolish man, for you will not see the lips of knowledge.

⁸The wisdom of the man of good sense makes his way clear; but the unwise behaviour of the foolish is deceit.

⁹In the tents of those hating authority there is error, but in the house of the upright man there is grace.

¹⁰No one has knowledge of a man's grief but himself; and a strange person has no part in his joy.

¹¹The house of the sinner will be overturned, but the tent of the upright man will do well.

¹²There is a way which seems straight before a man, but its end is the ways of death.

¹³Even while laughing the heart may be sad; and after joy comes sorrow.

¹⁴He whose heart is turned away will have the reward of his ways in full measure; but a good man will have the reward of his doings.

¹⁵The simple man has faith in every word, but the man of good sense gives thought to his footsteps.

¹⁶The wise man, fearing, keeps himself from evil; but the foolish man goes on in his pride, with no thought of danger.

¹⁷He who is quickly angry will do what is foolish, but the man of good sense will have quiet.

¹⁸Foolish behaviour is the heritage of the simple, but men of good sense are crowned with knowledge.

¹⁹The knees of the evil are bent before the good; and sinners go down in the dust at the doors of the upright.

²⁰The poor man is hated even by his neighbour, but the man of wealth has numbers of friends.

²¹He who has no respect for his neighbour is a sinner, but he who has pity for the poor is happy.

²²Will not the designers of evil come into error? But mercy and good faith are for the designers of good.

²³In all hard work there is profit, but talk only makes a man poor.

²⁴Their wisdom is a crown to the wise, but their foolish behaviour is round the head of the unwise.

²⁵A true witness is the saviour of lives; but he who says false things is a cause of deceit.