Proverbios 14

VBL · Chapter 14/31

1La mujer sabia construye su casa; pero la mujer necia, la derriba con sus propias manos.

2Los que viven en rectitud respetan al Señor, pero los que viven con deshonestidad lo aborrecen.

3Las palabras de los tontos herirán su orgullo, pero las palabras de los sabios los protegerán.

4Sin bueyes, el pesebre esta vacío; pero una buena cosecha es el fruto de la fuerza de un buey.

5Un testigo fiel no miente, pero un testigo falso es engañoso.

6Para el burlador no tiene sentido buscar la sabiduría, pero el conocimiento llega al que entiende.

7Aléjate de los necios, porque no aprenderás nada de ellos.

8Los prudentes usan su sabiduría para decidir hacia dónde van; pero la ignorancia de los necios traicionera.

9Los necios se burlan del pecado, pero los justos anhelan el perdón.

10Solo la mente del individuo conoce su propia tristeza; y nadie más puede compartir su alegría.

11La casa de los malvados será destruida, pero la tienda de los justos prosperará.

12Hay camino que parece bueno pero al final es camino de muerte.

13Incluso mientras ríes puedes estar sintiendo tristeza. La alegría puede terminar en llanto.

14Las personas desleales reciben el pago por sus actos, pero los justos son recompensados.

15Los necios creen cualquier cosa que les dicen, pero los prudentes piensan en lo que hacen.

16Los sabios son cuidadosos y evitan el mal, pero los necios andan confiados en su imprudencia.

17Los irascibles actúan con necedad, mientras que los que conspiran maldad son odiados.

18La herencia de los tontos es la ignorancia, pero los prudentes son recompensados con conocimiento.

19Los malvados se inclinan ante los justos, y se arrodillan a las puertas de los justos.

20Los pobres son aborrecidos incluso por sus vecinos, mientras que los ricos tienen muchos amigos.

21Los que menosprecian a sus vecinos son pecadores, pero los que son bondadosos con los pobres son bendecidos.

22¿Acaso no está mal conspirar para hacer maldad? Pero los que piensan en hacer el bien tienen amor y fidelidad.

23Hay recompensa en el trabajo arduo, pero el mucho hablar solo trae pobreza.

24Los sabios son recompensados con riqueza, pero los necios reciben ignorancia como pago.

25Un testigo verdadero salva vidas, pero el testigo falso es traicionero.

26Los que honran al Señor están a salvo; él protegerá a sus hijos.

27Respetar al Señor es fuente de vida con la cual puedes evadir las trampas de la muerte.

28La gloria de un rey es la cantidad de súbditos que tiene, porque un gobernante no es nadie sin ellos.

29Si eres tardo para enojarte, eres sabio; pero si te enojas con facilidad, glorificas la ignorancia.

30Una mente en paz ayuda a la salud de tu cuerpo; pero los celos hacen podrir los huesos.

31Todo el que oprime al pobre insulta a su Creador; pero todo el que los trata con bondad da honra a su Hacedor.

32Los malvados son derribados por sus propias acciones, pero los que viven en rectitud están confiados hasta la muerte.

33La sabiduría habita en una mente que entiende, pero no se encuentra en medio de los necios.

34Hacer el bien dará éxito a la nación, pero el pecado causa desgracia a cualquier pueblo.

35El siervo que actúa con sabiduría es estimado por el rey; pero el rey se enojará con el siervo que actúa vergonzosamente.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Proverbs contrasts the wise woman, who builds up her house, with the foolish one, who tears it down with her own hands. The chapter also addresses compassion for the poor and the danger of paths that seem right but end in death.

Explanation

The opening line about the wise woman who "buildeth her house" while the foolish one "plucketh it down with her hands" (verse 1) uses household management as a practical measure of wisdom, since running the home was a central and highly valued responsibility for women in ancient Israelite society. The famous verse 12 ("there is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death") warns of the limits of one's own moral judgment, a theme repeated again in 16:25. Application for today: judging one's own decisions merely by how right they feel, without seeking outside counsel, is a serious risk of self-deception.

Fun facts

  • Verse 12, about "the way which seemeth right," is repeated almost word for word in Proverbs 16:25 — one of the few near-exact repetitions within the book itself, suggesting the special weight the collection's editors placed on this warning.
  • The line "he that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker" (verse 31) draws a direct theological connection between how the poor are treated and the respect owed to God as Creator of all, grounding social justice ethically in the theology of creation.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Proverbios 14:1‘House’ once again works on two levels: the physical home and everything it represents — family, reputation, stability. The proverb contrasts two women by the practical outcome of their own daily choices, not by some fixed personality trait.
  2. Proverbios 14:2Compares whoever lives with integrity, showing respect for God through his own actions, with whoever strays from the right path, which in practice is a way of despising Him.
  3. Proverbios 14:3Compares the arrogant speech of the fool, which carries its own punishment, with the lips of the wise, which protect whoever uses them — each person’s mouth both reflects and determines his fate.
  4. Proverbios 14:4An empty manger looks tidier, but it means there is no ox at all working there — and without an ox there is no plowing, and therefore no harvest. The proverb uses this farming detail to say that order without real effort is an empty illusion.
  5. Proverbios 14:5Contrasts the true witness, trustworthy by nature, with the false witness, who lies without hesitation — a person’s integrity shows up precisely when it is put to the test.
  6. Proverbios 14:6Notes that the scoffer seeks wisdom without really being willing to change, so he never finds it, while for someone who already has humility, knowledge comes easily.
  7. Proverbios 14:7Advises staying away from someone who has no judgment, because that person has nothing useful to teach — avoiding bad company before it has a negative influence.
  8. Proverbios 14:8Compares the prudent person, who uses wisdom to understand where he is headed in life, with the fool, whose lack of judgment deceives him about his own situation.
  9. Proverbios 14:9Notes that fools treat sin as a joke, mocking its consequences, while among the upright there is mutual respect and genuine goodwill.
  10. Proverbios 14:10Notes that deep sorrow and joy are personal experiences — no outsider can truly enter into or fully share what is happening inside someone’s heart.
  11. Proverbios 14:11Compares the instability of the house of the wicked, which ends up destroyed, with the simplicity of the tent of the righteous, which flourishes even though it is more modest.
  12. Proverbios 14:12The phrase repeats almost word for word in 16:25, which shows it was a well-established saying in the wisdom tradition of the time, deliberately repeated across different collections. The warning is against trusting too much in one’s own judgment of what seems right, without checking where that path actually leads.
  13. Proverbios 14:13Notes that even laughter can hide sorrow underneath — surface-level cheer does not necessarily reflect what a person truly feels in his heart.
  14. Proverbios 14:14Compares whoever strays from the right path, who ends up reaping the result of his own bad choices, with the good man, who reaps satisfaction from his own good actions.
  15. Proverbios 14:15Contrasts the naive person, who believes anything he hears, with the prudent person, who carefully examines his own steps before acting — discernment keeps a person from being easily deceived.
  16. Proverbios 14:16Compares the wise person, who is cautious and avoids evil, with the fool, who acts with impulsive anger and feels overconfident, without noticing the risk he is running.
  17. Proverbios 14:17Notes that reacting with quick anger leads to foolish decisions, while whoever calculatedly schemes evil is regarded with even more suspicion by others.
  18. Proverbios 14:18Compares the outcome of each path: the naive end up with nothing but their own lack of judgment, while the prudent are rewarded with knowledge, like a crown.
  19. Proverbios 14:19Notes that, in the end, even the wicked end up recognizing the worth of the good, bowing down before them — an expectation that justice asserts itself over time.
  20. Proverbios 14:20Makes a hard social observation: the poor are avoided even by those who should be close to them, while the rich attract many who call themselves friends — an indirect criticism of the self-interest behind certain friendships.
  21. Proverbios 14:21Compares whoever despises his neighbor, treated here as a kind of sin, with whoever has compassion on the humble, described as someone truly happy.
  22. Proverbios 14:22Asks a rhetorical question to reinforce that whoever plans evil will certainly go wrong, while whoever plans good receives loyalty and kindness in return.
  23. Proverbios 14:23Notes that real work always brings some profit, while idle talk, with no concrete action behind it, leads only to poverty.
  24. Proverbios 14:24Compares riches to a kind of crown, a mark of worth, for whoever is wise, while the folly of the fool yields nothing but more folly.
  25. Proverbios 14:25Reinforces the value of an honest witness, able to save lives with the truth, against the danger of whoever lies and deceives without hesitation.
  26. Proverbios 14:26Describes reverence for God as a solid foundation of security, which extends even to protection for one’s own children, not just for the person who lives it directly.
  27. Proverbios 14:27Repeats the fountain-of-life image used in chapter 13 about the teaching of the wise, now applied to the fear of the Lord — something that helps a person avoid the dangers that lead to death.
  28. Proverbios 14:28Notes, in a very practical piece of leadership logic, that a king is strengthened by having many people around him, while a lack of people weakens and troubles the ruler.
  29. Proverbios 14:29Compares whoever has patience, a sign of good understanding, with whoever gets irritated easily, which exposes his own lack of self-control and maturity.
  30. Proverbios 14:30Just as in chapter 12, rottenness in the bones describes internal, progressive damage — here applied to envy, treated as something that eats away at the body of the person who feels it, not the person being envied. It is an almost physical observation about the effect of that feeling.
  31. Proverbios 14:31Notes that mistreating the poor is like insulting the very God who made them, while having compassion on those in need is a way of honoring God.
  32. Proverbios 14:32Compares the ruin of the wicked, caused by their own wickedness, with the confidence of the righteous, which holds firm even in the face of death — the difference in character shows up even at the very end.
  33. Proverbios 14:33Contrasts the prudent person, who keeps wisdom with discretion, with the fool, whose lack of judgment ends up showing and being noticed by everyone.
  34. Proverbios 14:34Observes on a larger scale, that of nations: living righteously exalts a people, while collective sin becomes a source of shame before others.
  35. Proverbios 14:35Closes the chapter with an observation about leadership: a king values whoever serves wisely, but his fury falls on whoever acts shamefully.

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