Proverbs chapter 14,
35 verses.
A way that leads to hell.
Verses 1 through 13.
Lady Wisdom builds a lovely home.
Sir Fool comes along and tears it down,
Brick by brick.
An honest life shows respect for God.
A degenerate life is a slap in the face.
Frivolous talk provokes a derisive smile.
Wise speech evokes nothing but respect.
No cattle,
No crops.
A good harvest requires a strong ox for the plow.
A true witness never lies.
A false witness makes a business of it.
Cynics look high and low for wisdom and never find it.
The open-minded find it right on their doorsteps.
Escape quickly from the company of fools.
They're a waste of your time,
A waste of your words.
The wisdom and the wise keep life on track.
The foolishness of fools lands them in the ditch.
The stupid ridicule right and wrong.
But a moral life is a favored life.
The person who shuns the bitter moments of friends will be an outside at their celebration.
Lives of careless wrongdoing are run down shacks.
Holy living builds soaring cathedrals.
There's a way of life that looks harmless enough.
Look again.
It leads straight to hell.
Surely those people appear to be having a good time.
But all that laughter will end in heartbreak.
Sift and weigh every word.
Verses 14-35 A mean person gets paid back in meanness.
A gracious person in grace.
The gullible believe anything they're told.
The prudent sift and weigh every word.
The wise watch their steps and avoid evil.
Fools are headstrong and reckless.
The hot-headed do things they'll later forget.
The cold-hearted get the cold shoulder.
Foolish dreamers live in a world of illusion.
While realists plant their feet on the ground.
Eventually,
Evil will pay tribute to good.
The wicked will respect God-loyal people.
An unlucky loser is shunned by all.
But everyone loves a winner.
It's criminal to ignore a neighbor in need.
But compassion for the poor.
What a blessing.
Isn't it obvious that conspirators lose out?
Will the thoughtful win love and trust?
Hard work always pays off.
Your top puts no bread on the table.
The wise accumulate wisdom.
Fools get stupider by the day.
Souls are saved by truthful witness.
I'm betrayed by the spread of lies.
The fear of God builds up confidence.
And makes the world safe for your children.
The fear of God is a spring of living water.
So you won't go off drinking from poison wells.
The mark of a good leader is loyal followers.
Leadership is nothing without a following.
Slowness to anger makes for deep understanding.
A quick-tempered person stockpiles stupidity.
A sound mind makes for a robust body.
But runaway emotions corrode the bones.
You insult your maker when you exploit the powerless.
When you're kind to the poor,
You honor God.
The evil of bad people leads them out in the cold.
The integrity of good people creates a safe place for living.
Lady Wisdom is at home in an understanding heart.
Fools never even get to say hello.
God devotion makes a country strong.
God avoidance leaves people weak.
Diligent work gets a warm commendation.
Shiftless work earns an angry rebuke.
End of chapter.
