Proverbs 14 ⁷ If you are looking for advice, stay away from fools. ⁸ The wise man looks ahead. The fool attempts to fool himself and won’t face facts. ¹⁴ The backslider gets bored with himself; the godly man’s life is exciting. 15 Only simpleton believes what he is told! A prudent man checks to see where he is going. ¹⁶ A wise man is cautious and avoids danger; a fool plunges ahead with great confidence. ¹⁹ Evil men shall bow before the godly. ²¹ To despise the poor is to sin. Blessed are those who pity them. ³¹Anyone who oppresses the poor is insulting God who made them. To help the poor is to honor God.
22 Those who plot evil shall wander away and be lost, but those who plan good shall be granted mercy and quietness. ²³ Work brings profit; talk brings poverty! ²⁶ Reverence for God gives a man deep strength; his children have a place of refuge and security. ²⁷ Reverence for the Lord is a fountain of life; its waters keep a man from death. ²⁹ A wise man controls his temper. He knows that anger causes mistakes. ³⁰ A relaxed attitude lengthens a man’s life; jealousy rots it away. TLBV