ERV -Proverbs Chapter 14 to 15

14 The wise woman uses her wisdom to make her home what it should be. But the foolish woman destroys her home by the foolish things she does. ²The person who lives right respects the Lord. But the person who is not honest hates the Lord. ³A foolish person’s words cause him trouble. But the words of a wise person protect him. ⁴If there are no cows to do the work, then the barn will be empty. The people can use the strength of a cow to have a great harvest. ⁵A truthful person does not lie—he is a good witness. But a person that can’t be trusted never tells the truth—he is a bad witness. ⁶People who make fun of God might look for wisdom, but they will never find it. {People who believe God} are truly wise. Knowledge comes easy to them. ⁷Don’t become friends with a foolish person. There is nothing he can teach you. ⁸Smart people are wise because they think carefully about the things they do. But foolish people are fools because they think they can live by cheating. ⁹A foolish person laughs at the idea of paying for the bad things he did. But good people try very hard to get forgiveness. ¹⁰If a person is sad, he is the only one that can feel that sadness. In the same way, if a person is happy, he is the only one that can feel that joy. ¹¹The house of an evil person will be destroyed. But the home of a good person will live forever. ¹²There is a way that people think is right. But that way leads only to death. ¹³A person might be sad, even if he is laughing. And after the laughter, the sadness will still be there. ¹⁴Evil people will be fully paid (punished) for the wrong things they do. And good people will be fully rewarded for the good things they do. ¹⁵A fool will believe anything he hears. But a wise man thinks carefully about everything. ¹⁶A wise man respects the Lord and stays away from evil. But a foolish man does things without thinking—he is not careful. ¹⁷A person who becomes angry easily does foolish things. But a wise person is patient. ¹⁸Foolish people are punished for their foolishness. But wise people are rewarded with knowledge. ¹⁹Good people will win against evil people. Evil people will be forced to bow down to them. ²⁰A poor person has no friends, not even his neighbor. But rich people have many friends. ²¹You should not think bad things about your neighbors. If you want to be happy, be kind to those poor people. ²²Any person who plans to do evil is doing wrong. But the person that tries to do good will have friends that love and trust him. ²³If you work hard, then you will have the things you need. But if you do nothing but talk, then you will be poor. ²⁴Wise people are rewarded by wealth. But foolish people are rewarded by foolishness. ²⁵A person who tells the truth helps other people. The person who tells lies hurts other people. ²⁶The person who respects the Lord is safe and his children also live in safety. ²⁷Respect for the Lord gives true life. It saves a person from death’s trap. ²⁸A large {wealthy} nation brings honor to a king, but a nation suffering famine brings shame.* ²⁹A patient person is very smart. A person who is easily angered shows that he is a fool. ³⁰If a person has peace in his mind, then his body will be healthy. But jealousy causes sickness in his body. ³¹The person that causes trouble for poor people shows that he does not respect God—God made both people. But if a person is kind to poor people, then he shows honor to God. ³²During times of trouble, evil people are defeated. But good people win a victory even during death. ³³A wise person is always thinking wise things. But a foolish person knows nothing about wisdom. ³⁴Goodness makes a nation great. But sin is a shame to any people. ³⁵A king is happy when he has wise leaders. But a king is angry with leaders that are foolish.

shame Literally, “nothing.”

15 A peaceful answer causes anger to disappear. But a rough answer causes anger to grow. ²When a wise person speaks, other people want to listen. But a foolish person speaks only foolishness. ³The Lord sees what happens everywhere. The Lord watches every person—good and evil. ⁴Kind words are like a Tree of Life.* But lying words will crush a man’s spirit. ⁵A foolish person refuses to listen to his father’s advice. But a wise person listens closely when people try to teach him. ⁶Good people are rich in many things. But the things that an evil person has only cause him trouble. ⁷Wise people say things that give you new information. But foolish people say nothing worth hearing. ⁸The Lord hates the offerings that evil people give. But the Lord is happy to hear a good person’s prayers. ⁹The Lord hates the way evil people live. The Lord loves people who try to do good. ¹⁰If a person begins to live wrong, then he will be punished. And the person that hates to be corrected will be destroyed. ¹¹The Lord knows everything, even what happens in the place of death. So surely the Lord will know what happens in the hearts and minds of people. ¹²The foolish person hates to be told when he is wrong. And that person refuses to ask wise people for advice. ¹³If a person is happy, then his face will show joy. But if a person is sad in his heart, then his spirit will show that sadness. ¹⁴A wise person tries to gain more knowledge. But a foolish person only wants more foolishness. ¹⁵Some poor people are sad all the time. But for people with happiness in their hearts, life is one big party. ¹⁶It is better to be poor and respect the Lord than to be rich and have many troubles. ¹⁷It is better to eat a little in a place where there is love, than to eat a lot where there is hate. ¹⁸People that are easily angered cause trouble. But a patient person causes peace. ¹⁹A lazy person will have trouble everywhere. But life will be easy for honest people. ²⁰A wise son brings happiness to his father. But a foolish person brings shame to his mother. ²¹Doing foolish things makes a foolish person happy. But a wise person is careful to do the things that are right. ²²If a person does not get enough advice, then his plans will fail. But a person will succeed if he listens to the things wise people tell him. ²³A person is happy when he gives a good answer. And the right word at the right time is very good. ²⁴The things a wise person does leads to life here on earth* and stop him from going down to the place of death. ²⁵The Lord will destroy everything a proud person has. But the Lord protects the things that a widow has. ²⁶The Lord hates evil thoughts. But the Lord is happy with kind words. ²⁷If a person cheats to get things, then he will bring trouble to his family. But if a person is honest, then he will have no trouble. ²⁸Good people think before they answer. But evil people speak before they think, and that causes them trouble. ²⁹The Lord is far away from evil people. But he always hears the prayers of good people. ³⁰A person that smiles makes other people happy. And good news makes people feel better. ³¹A person is very wise if he listens when someone tells him that he has done wrong. ³²If a person refuses to learn, then he is only hurting himself. But the person who listens when someone tells him he is wrong, will understand more and more. ³³The person who respects the Lord is learning to be wise. A person must be humble before he can truly respect the Lord.

Tree of Life The tree whose fruit gives people the power to live forever. See Gen. 3:22 and Rev. 22:1-2. here on earth Literally, “above,” that is, “above the ground (grave).”