Proverbs 13-16

New American Standard Bible

13 A ^(A)wise son accepts his father’s discipline,
But a ^(B)scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
² From the fruit of a person’s mouth he ^[a](C)enjoys good,
But the ^[b]desire of the treacherous is ^(D)violence.
³ One who ^(E)guards his mouth protects his life;
One who ^(F)opens wide his lips ^[c]comes to ruin.
⁴ The soul of the ^[d]lazy one craves and gets nothing,
But the soul of the diligent is made ^[e]prosperous.
⁵ A righteous person ^(G)hates a false statement,
But a wicked person ^[f](H)acts disgustingly and shamefully.
⁶ Righteousness ^(I)guards the ^[g]one whose way is blameless,
But wickedness brings the ^[h]sinner to ruin.
⁷ There is one who ^(J)pretends to be rich but has nothing;
Another pretends to be ^(K)poor, but has great wealth.
⁸ The ransom of a person’s life is his wealth,
But the poor hears no rebuke.
⁹ The ^(L)light of the righteous ^[i]rejoices,
But the ^(M)lamp of the wicked goes out.
¹⁰ Through overconfidence ^[j]comes nothing but strife,
But wisdom is with those who receive counsel.
¹¹ Wealth obtained from ^[k]nothing dwindles,
But one who gathers ^[l]by labor increases it.
¹² Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But desire ^[m]fulfilled is a tree of life.
¹³ One who ^(N)despises the word will do badly,
But one who fears the commandment will be ^(O)rewarded.
¹⁴ The ^[n]teaching of the wise is a ^(P)fountain of life,
To turn aside from the ^(Q)snares of death.
^15 (R)Good understanding produces favor,
But the way of the treacherous is ^[o]their own disaster.
¹⁶ Every ^(S)prudent person acts with knowledge,
But a fool ^[p]displays foolishness.
¹⁷ A wicked messenger falls into adversity,
But ^(T)a faithful messenger brings healing.
¹⁸ Poverty and shame will come to one who ^(U)neglects ^[q]discipline,
But one who complies with rebuke will be honored.
¹⁹ Desire realized is sweet to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil.
^20 (V)One who walks with wise people will be wise,
But a companion of fools will suffer harm.
^21 (W)Adversity pursues sinners,
But the ^(X)righteous will be rewarded with prosperity.
²² A good person ^(Y)leaves an inheritance to his ^[r]grandchildren,
And the ^(Z)wealth of a sinner is stored up for the righteous.
^23 (AA)Abundant food is in the uncultivated ground of the poor,
But ^[s]it is swept away by injustice.
²⁴ He who ^(AB)withholds his ^[t]rod hates his son,
But he who loves him ^[u](AC)disciplines him diligently.
²⁵ The ^(AD)righteous ^[v]has enough to satisfy his appetite,
But the stomach of the ^(AE)wicked is in need.

14 The ^(AF)wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.
² One who ^(AG)walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
But one who is ^(AH)devious in his ways despises Him.
³ In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back,
But ^(AI)the lips of the wise will protect them.
⁴ Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean;
But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.
⁵ A ^(AJ)trustworthy witness will not lie,
But a ^(AK)false witness ^(AL)declares lies.
⁶ A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none,
But knowledge is easy for one who has understanding.
⁷ Leave the ^(AM)presence of a fool,
Or you will not ^[w]discern ^[x]words of knowledge.
⁸ The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,
But ^(AN)the foolishness of fools is deceit.
⁹ Fools mock at ^[y]sin,
But ^(AO)among the upright there is ^[z]goodwill.
¹⁰ The heart knows its own ^(AP)bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.
¹¹ The ^(AQ)house of the wicked will be destroyed,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
¹² There ^(AR)is a way which seems right to a person,
But its ^(AS)end is the way of death.
¹³ Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
And the ^(AT)end of joy may be grief.
¹⁴ One with a wayward heart will have his ^(AU)fill of his own ways,
But a good person will ^(AV)be satisfied ^[aa]with his.
¹⁵ The naive believes everything,
But the sensible person considers his steps.
¹⁶ A wise person ^[ab]is cautious and ^(AW)turns away from evil,
But a fool is arrogant and careless.
¹⁷ A quick-tempered person acts foolishly,
And a person of evil devices is hated.
¹⁸ The naive inherit foolishness,
But the sensible are crowned with knowledge.
¹⁹ The ^(AX)evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
²⁰ The ^(AY)poor is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.
²¹ One who ^(AZ)despises his neighbor sins,
But ^(BA)one who is gracious to the ^[ac]poor is blessed.
²² Will they who ^(BB)devise evil not go astray?
But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.
²³ In all labor there is profit,
But ^[ad]mere talk leads only to poverty.
²⁴ The ^(BC)crown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is simply foolishness.
²⁵ A truthful witness saves lives,
But one who ^(BD)declares lies is ^[ae]deceitful.
²⁶ In ^[af](BE)the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And ^[ag]his children will have refuge.
^27 [ah]The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
By which one may avoid the snares of death.
²⁸ In a multitude of people is a king’s glory,
But in the scarcity of people is a prince’s ruin.
²⁹ One who is ^(BF)slow to anger has great understanding;
But one who is ^[ai]quick-tempered exalts foolishness.
³⁰ A ^(BG)tranquil heart is life to the body,
But jealousy is ^(BH)rottenness to the bones.
³¹ One ^(BI)who oppresses the poor taunts ^(BJ)his Maker,
But one who is gracious to the needy honors Him.
³² The wicked is ^(BK)thrust down by his own wrongdoing,
But the ^(BL)righteous has a refuge when he dies.
³³ Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding,
But among fools it is made known.
³⁴ Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.
³⁵ The king’s favor is toward a ^(BM)servant who acts wisely,
But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.

15 A ^(BN)gentle answer turns away wrath,
But a ^[aj](BO)harsh word stirs up anger.
² The ^(BP)tongue of the wise makes knowledge pleasant,
But the ^(BQ)mouth of fools spouts foolishness.
³ The ^(BR)eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Watching the evil and the good.
⁴ A ^[ak]soothing tongue is a tree of life,
But perversion in it ^[al]crushes the spirit.
⁵ A fool ^[am]rejects his father’s discipline,
But he who complies with rebuke is sensible.
⁶ Great wealth is in the house of the ^(BS)righteous,
But trouble is in the income of the wicked.
⁷ The lips of the wise spread knowledge,
But the hearts of fools are not so.
⁸ The ^(BT)sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But ^(BU)the prayer of the upright is His delight.
⁹ The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But He loves the one who ^(BV)pursues righteousness.
¹⁰ There is severe punishment for one who abandons the way;
One who hates a rebuke will die.
^11 [an](BW)Sheol and ^[ao]Abaddon lie open before the Lord,
How much more the ^(BX)hearts of ^[ap]mankind!
¹² A ^(BY)scoffer does not love one who rebukes him;
He will not go to the wise.
¹³ A ^(BZ)joyful heart makes a ^[aq]cheerful face,
But ^[ar]when the heart is ^(CA)sad, the ^(CB)spirit is broken.
¹⁴ The ^(CC)mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
¹⁵ All the days of the ^[as]needy are bad,
But a ^[at]cheerful heart has a continual feast.
^16 (CD)Better is a little with ^[au]the fear of the Lord
Than great treasure, and turmoil with ^[av]the treasure.
^17 (CE)Better is a portion of ^[aw]vegetables where there is love,
Than a ^(CF)fattened ox served with hatred.
¹⁸ A ^(CG)hot-tempered person stirs up strife,
But the ^(CH)slow to anger ^(CI)calms a dispute.
¹⁹ The way of the ^[ax]lazy one is like a hedge of thorns,
But the path of the upright is a highway.
²⁰ A ^(CJ)wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man ^(CK)despises his mother.
²¹ Foolishness is joy to one who lacks ^[ay]sense,
But a person of understanding ^(CL)walks straight.
²² Without consultation, plans are frustrated,
But with many counselors they ^[az]succeed.
²³ A ^(CM)person has joy in an ^[ba]apt answer,
And how delightful is a timely ^(CN)word!
²⁴ The ^(CO)path of life leads upward for the wise,
So that he may keep away from ^[bb]Sheol below.
²⁵ The Lord will ^(CP)tear down the house of the proud,
But He will ^(CQ)set the boundary of the ^(CR)widow.
²⁶ Evil plans are an abomination to the Lord,
But pleasant words are pure.
²⁷ He who ^(CS)profits illicitly troubles his own house,
But he who ^(CT)hates bribes will live.
²⁸ The heart of the righteous ^(CU)ponders how to answer,
But the ^(CV)mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
²⁹ The Lord is ^(CW)far from the wicked,
But He ^(CX)hears the prayer of the righteous.
^30 [bc]Bright eyes gladden the heart;
Good news ^[bd]refreshes the bones.
³¹ One whose ear listens to a life-giving rebuke
Will stay among the wise.
³² One who ^(CY)neglects discipline ^(CZ)rejects himself,
But one who ^(DA)listens to a rebuke acquires ^[be]understanding.
^33 [bf]The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom,
And before honor comes humility.

16 The ^(DB)plans of the heart belong to a person,
But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
² All the ways of a person are clean in his own sight,
But the ^(DC)Lord examines the ^[bg]motives.
^3 [bh](DD)Commit your works to the Lord,
And your plans will be established.
⁴ The Lord ^(DE)has made everything for ^[bi]its own purpose,
Even the ^(DF)wicked for the day of evil.
⁵ Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
^[bj]Be assured, he will not go unpunished.
⁶ By ^(DG)mercy and truth atonement is made for wrongdoing,
And by ^[bk]the ^(DH)fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil.
⁷ When a person’s ways are pleasing to the Lord,
He ^(DI)causes even his enemies to make peace with him.
⁸ Better is a little with righteousness
Than great income with injustice.
⁹ The mind of a ^(DJ)person plans his way,
But ^(DK)the Lord directs his steps.
¹⁰ A divine ^(DL)verdict is on the lips of the king;
His mouth should not ^[bl]err in judgment.
¹¹ A ^(DM)just balance and scales belong to the Lord;
All the ^[bm]weights of the bag are His ^[bn]concern.
¹² It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts,
Because a ^(DN)throne is established on righteousness.
¹³ Righteous lips are the delight of kings,
And one who speaks right is loved.
¹⁴ The fury of a king is like messengers of death;
But a wise person will appease it.
¹⁵ In the light of a king’s face is life,
And his favor is like a cloud with the ^[bo](DO)spring rain.
¹⁶ How much ^(DP)better it is to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.
¹⁷ The ^(DQ)highway of the upright is to turn away from evil;
One who watches his way protects his ^[bp]life.
^18 (DR)Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before stumbling.
¹⁹ It is better to be ^(DS)humble in spirit with the needy
Than to ^(DT)divide the spoils with the proud.
²⁰ One who pays attention to the word will ^(DU)find good,
And ^(DV)blessed is one who trusts in the Lord.
²¹ The ^(DW)wise in heart will be called understanding,
And sweetness of ^[bq]speech ^(DX)increases ^[br]persuasiveness.
²² Understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it,
But the discipline of fools is foolishness.
²³ The ^(DY)heart of the wise instructs his mouth
And adds ^[bs]persuasiveness to his lips.
^24 (DZ)Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
Sweet to the soul and ^(EA)healing to the bones.
^25 (EB)There is a way which seems right to a person,
But its end is the way of death.
²⁶ A worker’s appetite works for him,
For his ^[bt]hunger urges him on.
²⁷ A ^(EC)worthless person digs up evil,
While ^[bu]his words are like ^(ED)scorching fire.
²⁸ A perverse person spreads strife,
And a ^[bv]slanderer separates close friends.
²⁹ A person of violence ^(EE)entices his neighbor
And leads him in a way that is not good.
³⁰ He who winks his eyes does so to devise perverse things;
He who compresses his lips brings evil to pass.
³¹ A ^(EF)gray head is a crown of glory;
It ^(EG)is found in the way of righteousness.
³² One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And one who rules his spirit, than one who captures a city.
³³ The ^(EH)lot is cast into the lap,
But its every ^(EI)decision is from the Lord.