Proverbs 28:14
Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.
– Proverbs 28:14
The saying contrasts two conditions—fearing always and hardening the heart. Proper fear causes one to avoid evil and the envy of sinners (Proverbs 3:7; 23:17) and is a mark of a wise man (Proverbs 14:16). Such fear leads a man to blessing, or happiness. Hardening the heart means avoiding the instructions of wisdom and warnings of conscience (Proverbs 21:29). Such hardening leads to mischief, or evil (Proverbs 24:16).