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Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

¹ The ^(C1)wise woman builds her house on a foundation of godly precepts, and her household thrives,
But the foolish one who lacks spiritual insight tears it down with her own hands by ignoring godly principles.

² He who ^(C1)walks in uprightness reverently fears the LORD and obeys and worships Him with profound respect,
But he who is ^(C2)devious in his ways despises Him.

³ In the mouth of the arrogant ^(F1)fool who rejects God is a rod for his back,
But ^(C1)the lips of the wise when they speak with godly wisdom will protect them.

⁴ Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
But much revenue because of good crops comes by the strength of the ox.

⁵ A ^(C1)faithful and trustworthy witness will not lie,
But a ^(C2)false witness ^(C3)speaks lies.

⁶ A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none for his ears are closed to wisdom,
But knowledge is easy for one who understands because he is willing to learn.

⁷ Leave the ^(C1)presence of a shortsighted fool,
For you will not find knowledge or hear godly wisdom from his lips.

⁸ The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,
But ^(C1)the foolishness of shortsighted fools is deceit.

⁹ Fools mock sin but sin mocks the fools,
But ^(C1)among the upright there is good will and the favor and blessing of God. ^(VR1)

¹⁰ The heart knows its own ^(C1)bitterness,
And no stranger shares its joy.

¹¹ The ^(C1)house of the wicked will be overthrown,
But the tent of the upright will thrive.

^12 (C1)There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him,
But its ^(C2)end is the way of death.

¹³ Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
And the ^(C1)end of joy may be grief.

¹⁴ The backslider in heart will have his ^(C1)fill with his own rotten ways,
But a good man will ^(C2)be satisfied with his ways the godly thought and action which his heart pursues and in which he delights.

¹⁵ The naive or inexperienced person is easily misled and believes every word he hears,
But the prudent man is discreet and astute and considers well where he is going.

¹⁶ A wise man suspects danger and cautiously ^(C1)avoids evil,
But the fool is arrogant and careless.

¹⁷ A quick-tempered man acts foolishly and without self-control,
And a man of wicked schemes is hated.

¹⁸ The naive are unsophisticated and easy to exploit and inherit foolishness,
But the sensible are thoughtful and far-sighted and are crowned with knowledge.

¹⁹ The ^(C1)evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked will bow down at the gates of the righteous.

²⁰ The ^(C1)poor man is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.

²¹ He who ^(C1)despises his neighbor sins against God and his fellow man,
But ^(C2)happy blessed and favored by God is he who is gracious and merciful to the poor.

²² Do they not go astray who ^(C1)devise evil and wander from the way of righteousness?
But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.

²³ In all labor there is profit,
But mere talk leads only to poverty.

²⁴ The ^(C1)crown of the wise is their wealth of wisdom,
But the foolishness of closed-minded fools is nothing but folly.

²⁵ A truthful witness saves lives,
But he who ^(C1)speaks lies is treacherous.

²⁶ In the reverent ^(C1)fear of the LORD there is strong confidence,
And His children will always have a place of refuge.

²⁷ The reverent fear of the LORD that leads to obedience and worship is a fountain of life,
So that one may avoid the snares of death. ^(VR1)

²⁸ In a multitude of people is a king's glory,
But in a lack of people is a pretentious prince's ruin.

²⁹ He who is ^(C1)slow to anger has great understanding and profits from his self-control,
But he who is quick-tempered exposes and exalts his foolishness for all to see. ^(VR1)

³⁰ A ^(C1)calm and peaceful and tranquil heart is life and health to the body,
But passion and envy are like ^(C2)rottenness to the bones.

³¹ He ^(C1)who oppresses the poor taunts and insults ^(C2)his Maker,
But he who is kind and merciful and gracious to the needy honors Him. ^(VR1)

³² The wicked is ^(C1)overthrown through his wrongdoing,
But the ^(C2)righteous has hope and confidence and a refuge with God even in death.

³³ Wisdom rests silently in the heart of one who has understanding,
But what is in the heart of shortsighted fools is made known. ^(VR1)

³⁴ Righteousness moral and spiritual integrity and virtuous character exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.

³⁵ The king's favor and good will are toward a ^(C1)servant who acts wisely and discreetly,
But his anger and wrath are toward him who acts shamefully. ^(VR1)