Chapter 14

¹Every wise woman hath builded her house, And the foolish with her hands breaketh it down. ²Whoso is walking in his uprightness is fearing Jehovah, And the perverted [in] his ways is despising Him. ³In the mouth of a fool [is] a rod of pride, And the lips of the wise preserve them. ⁴Without oxen a stall [is] clean, And great [is] the increase by the power of the ox. ⁵A faithful witness lieth not, And a false witness breatheth out lies. ⁶A scorner hath sought wisdom, and it is not, And knowledge to the intelligent [is] easy. ⁷Go from before a foolish man, Or thou hast not known the lips of knowledge. ⁸The wisdom of the prudent [is] to understand his way, And the folly of fools [is] deceit. ⁹Fools mock at a guilt-offering, And among the upright -- a pleasing thing. ¹⁰The heart knoweth its own bitterness, And with its joy a stranger doth not intermeddle. ¹¹The house of the wicked is destroyed, And the tent of the upright flourisheth. ¹²There is a way -- right before a man, And its latter end [are] ways of death. ¹³Even in laughter is the heart pained, And the latter end of joy [is] affliction. ¹⁴From his ways is the backslider in heart filled, And a good man -- from his fruits. ¹⁵The simple giveth credence to everything, And the prudent attendeth to his step. ¹⁶The wise is fearing and turning from evil, And a fool is transgressing and is confident. ¹⁷Whoso is short of temper doth folly, And a man of wicked devices is hated. ¹⁸The simple have inherited folly, And the prudent are crowned [with] knowledge. ¹⁹The evil have bowed down before the good, And the wicked at the gates of the righteous. ²⁰Even of his neighbour is the poor hated, And those loving the rich [are] many. ²¹Whoso is despising his neighbour sinneth, Whoso is favouring the humble, O his happiness. ²²Do not they err who are devising evil? And kindness and truth [are] to those devising good, ²³In all labour there is advantage, And a thing of the lips [is] only to want. ²⁴The crown of the wise is their wealth, The folly of fools [is] folly. ²⁵A true witness is delivering souls, And a deceitful one breatheth out lies. ²⁶In the fear of Jehovah [is] strong confidence, And to His sons there is a refuge. ²⁷The fear of Jehovah [is] a fountain of life, To turn aside from snares of death. ²⁸In the multitude of a people [is] the honour of a king, And in lack of people the ruin of a prince. ²⁹Whoso is slow to anger [is] of great understanding, And whoso is short in temper is exalting folly. ³⁰A healed heart [is] life to the flesh, And rottenness to the bones [is] envy. ³¹An oppressor of the poor reproacheth his Maker, And whoso is honouring Him Is favouring the needy. ³²In his wickedness is the wicked driven away, And trustful in his death [is] the righteous. ³³In the heart of the intelligent wisdom doth rest. And in the midst of fools it is known. ³⁴Righteousness exalteth a nation, And the goodliness of peoples [is] a sin-offering. ³⁵The favour of a king [is] to a wise servant, And an object of his wrath is one causing shame!