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Wisdom Makes Good Sense

14 A woman's family
is held together
    by her wisdom,
but it can be destroyed
    by her foolishness.
By living right, you show
    that you respect the Lord;
by being deceitful, you show
    that you despise him.
Proud fools are punished
    for their stupid talk,
but sensible talk
    can save your life.
Without the help of an ox
    there can be no crop,
but with a strong ox
    a big crop is possible.
An honest witness
    tells the truth;
a dishonest witness
    tells nothing but lies.

Make fun of wisdom,
    and you will never find it.
But if you have understanding,
    knowledge comes easily.
Stay away from fools,
    or you won't learn a thing.
Wise people have enough sense
to find their way,
    but stupid fools get lost.
Fools don't care
    if they are wrong,[a]
but God is pleased
    when people do right.

10 No one else can really know
    how sad or happy you are.
11 The tent of a good person
stands longer than the house
    of someone evil.
12 (A) You may think you are
on the right road
    and still end up dead.
13 Sorrow may hide
    behind laughter,
and happiness may end
    in sorrow.
14 You harvest what you plant,
    whether good or bad.

15 Don't be stupid
    and believe all you hear;
be smart and know
    where you are headed.
16 Only a stupid fool
    is never cautious—
so be extra careful
    and stay out of trouble.
17 Fools have quick tempers,
and no one likes you
    if you can't be trusted.
18 Stupidity leads to foolishness;
    be smart and learn.

19 The wicked will come crawling
    to those who obey God.
20 You have no friends
    if you are poor,
but you have lots of friends
    if you are rich.
21 It's wrong to hate others,
but God blesses everyone
    who is kind to the poor.
22 It's a mistake
    to make evil plans,
but you will have loyal friends
    if you want to do right.
23 Hard work is worthwhile,
but empty talk
    will make you poor.
24 Wisdom can make you rich,
but foolishness leads
    to more foolishness.
25 An honest witness
can save your life,
    but liars can't be trusted.

26 If you respect the Lord,
you and your children
    have a strong fortress
27 and a life-giving fountain
that keeps you safe
    from deadly traps.

28 Rulers of powerful nations
    are held in honor;
rulers of weak nations
    are nothing at all.
29 It's smart to be patient,
but it's stupid
    to lose your temper.
30 It's healthy to be content,
    but envy can eat you up.
31 If you mistreat the poor,
    you insult your Creator;
if you are kind to them,
    you show him respect.
32 In times of trouble
    the wicked are destroyed,
but even at death
    the innocent have faith.[b]

33 Wisdom is found in the minds
of people with good sense,
    but fools don't know it.[c]
34 Doing right brings honor
to a nation,
    but sin brings disgrace.
35 Kings reward servants
    who act wisely,
but they punish those
    who act foolishly.

Footnotes

  1. 14.9 Fools … wrong: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  2. 14.32 but even … faith: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. Some ancient translations “but good people trust their innocence.”
  3. 14.33 but … it: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text; some ancient translations “but not in the mind of a fool.”

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