Proverbs 10:14

Those who are wise ¹  store up ²  knowledge, but foolish speech ³  leads to imminent ⁴  destruction.

Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.

Wise men store up knowledge, But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.

Wise people treasure knowledge, but the babbling of a fool invites trouble.

The wise accumulate knowledge--a true treasure; know-it-alls talk too much--a sheer waste.

Knowledge is stored up by the wise, but the mouth of the foolish man is a destruction which is near.

The wise lay up knowledge, but the babbling of a fool brings ruin near.

Wise people store up knowledge, But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.

Those who are wise ¹  store up ²  knowledge, but foolish speech ³  leads to imminent ⁴  destruction.

¹ tn Heb “wise men.”

² sn The verb צָפַן (tsafan, “to store up; to treasure”) may mean (1) the wise acquire and do not lose wisdom (cf. NAB, NIV, TEV), or (2) they do not tell all that they know (cf. NCV), that is, they treasure it up for a time when they will need it. The fool, by contrast, talks without thinking.

³ tn Heb “the mouth of foolishness”; cf. NRSV, NLT “the babbling of a fool.” The term פֶּה (peh, “mouth”) functions as a metonymy of cause for speech. The genitive אֶוִיל (’evil, “foolishness”) functions as an attributive adjective: “a foolish mouth” = foolish speech.

⁴ tn Heb “near destruction.” The words of the fool that are uttered without wise forethought may invite imminent ruin (e.g., James 3:13-18). See also Ptah-hotep and Amenemope in ANET 414 and 423.