Proverbs 14:7-34

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.

²⁶For him in whose heart is the fear of the Lord there is strong hope: and his children will have a safe place.

²⁷The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, by which one may be turned from the nets of death.

²⁸A king's glory is in the number of his people: and for need of people a ruler may come to destruction.

²⁹He who is slow to be angry has great good sense; but he whose spirit is over-quick gives support to what is foolish.

³⁰A quiet mind is the life of the body, but envy is a disease in the bones.

³¹He who is hard on the poor puts shame on his Maker; but he who has mercy on those who are in need gives him honour.

³²The sinner is overturned in his evil-doing, but the upright man has hope in his righteousness.

³³Wisdom has her resting-place in the mind of the wise, but she is not seen among the foolish.

³⁴By righteousness a nation is lifted up, but sin is a cause of shame to the peoples.