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Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked

¹ The ^(C1)wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.

² One who ^(C1)walks in his uprightness fears the LORD,
But one who is ^(C2)devious in his ways despises Him.

³ In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back,
But ^(C1)the lips of the wise will protect them.

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

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

⁶ A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none,
But knowledge is easy for one who has understanding.

⁷ Leave the ^(C1)presence of a fool,
Or you will not ^(F1)discern ^(F2)words of knowledge.

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

⁹ Fools mock at ^(F1)sin,
But ^(C1)among the upright there is ^(F2)goodwill.

¹⁰ The heart knows its own ^(C1)bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.

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

¹² There ^(C1)is a way which seems right to a person,
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 One with a wayward heart will have his ^(C1)fill of his own ways,
But a good person will ^(C2)be satisfied ^(F1)with his.

¹⁵ The naive believes everything,
But the sensible person considers his steps.

¹⁶ A wise person ^(F1)is cautious and ^(C1)turns away from evil,
But a fool is arrogant and careless.

¹⁷ A quick-tempered person acts foolishly,
And a person of evil devices is hated.

¹⁸ The naive inherit foolishness,
But the sensible are crowned with knowledge.

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

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

²¹ One who ^(C1)despises his neighbor sins,
But ^(C2)one who is gracious to the ^(F1)poor is blessed.

²² Will they who ^(C1)devise evil not go astray?
But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.

²³ In all labor there is profit,
But ^(F1)mere talk leads only to poverty.

²⁴ The ^(C1)crown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is simply foolishness.

²⁵ A truthful witness saves lives,
But one who ^(C1)declares lies is ^(F1)deceitful.

²⁶ In ^(F1)(C1)the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence,
And ^(F2)his children will have refuge.

^27 (F1)The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,
By which one may avoid the snares of death.

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

²⁹ One who is ^(C1)slow to anger has great understanding;
But one who is ^(F1)quick-tempered exalts foolishness.

³⁰ A ^(C1)tranquil heart is life to the body,
But jealousy is ^(C2)rottenness to the bones.

³¹ One ^(C1)who oppresses the poor taunts ^(C2)his Maker,
But one who is gracious to the needy honors Him.

³² The wicked is ^(C1)thrust down by his own wrongdoing,
But the ^(C2)righteous has a refuge when he dies.

³³ Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding,
But among fools it is made known.

³⁴ Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.

³⁵ The king's favor is toward a ^(C1)servant who acts wisely,
But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.