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14The wise woman builds her house,
but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.
²Those who walk uprightly fear the Lord,
but one who is devious in conduct despises him.
³The talk of fools is a rod for their backs,
but the lips of the wise preserve them.
⁴Where there are no oxen, there is no grain;
abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.
⁵A faithful witness does not lie,
but a false witness breathes out lies.
⁶A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain,
but knowledge is easy for one who understands.
⁷Leave the presence of a fool,
for there you do not find words of knowledge.
⁸It is the wisdom of the clever to understand where they go,
but the folly of fools misleads.
⁹Fools mock at the guilt offering,
but the upright enjoy God’s favor.
¹⁰The heart knows its own bitterness,
and no stranger shares its joy.
¹¹The house of the wicked is destroyed,
but the tent of the upright flourishes.
¹²There is a way that seems right to a person,
but its end is the way to death.
¹³Even in laughter the heart is sad,
and the end of joy is grief.
¹⁴The perverse get what their ways deserve,
and the good, what their deeds deserve.
¹⁵The simple believe everything,
but the clever consider their steps.
¹⁶The wise are cautious and turn away from evil,
but the fool throws off restraint and is careless.
¹⁷One who is quick-tempered acts foolishly,
and the schemer is hated.
¹⁸The simple are adorned with folly,
but the clever are crowned with knowledge.
¹⁹The evil bow down before the good,
the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
²⁰The poor are disliked even by their neighbors,
but the rich have many friends.
²¹Those who despise their neighbors are sinners,
but happy are those who are kind to the poor.
²²Do they not err that plan evil?
Those who plan good find loyalty and faithfulness.
²³In all toil there is profit,
but mere talk leads only to poverty.
²⁴The crown of the wise is their wisdom,
but folly is the garland of fools.
²⁵A truthful witness saves lives,
but one who utters lies is a betrayer.
²⁶In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence,
and one’s children will have a refuge.
²⁷The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
so that one may avoid the snares of death.
²⁸The glory of a king is a multitude of people;
without people a prince is ruined.
²⁹Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
but one who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
³⁰A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh,
but passion makes the bones rot.
³¹Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker,
but those who are kind to the needy honor him.
³²The wicked are overthrown by their evildoing,
but the righteous find a refuge in their integrity.
³³Wisdom is at home in the mind of one who has understanding,
but it is not known in the heart 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.