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13 A wise son listens to his father’s instruction,
    but a scoffer doesn’t listen to rebuke.
By the fruit of his lips, a man enjoys good things,
    but the unfaithful crave violence.
He who guards his mouth guards his soul.
    One who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
The soul of the sluggard desires, and has nothing,
    but the desire of the diligent shall be fully satisfied.
A righteous man hates lies,
    but a wicked man brings shame and disgrace.
Righteousness guards the way of integrity,
    but wickedness overthrows the sinner.
There are some who pretend to be rich, yet have nothing.
    There are some who pretend to be poor, yet have great wealth.
The ransom of a man’s life is his riches,
    but the poor hear no threats.
The light of the righteous shines brightly,
    but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.
10 Pride only breeds quarrels,
    but wisdom is with people who take advice.
11 Wealth gained dishonestly dwindles away,
    but he who gathers by hand makes it grow.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
    but when longing is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.
13 Whoever despises instruction will pay for it,
    but he who respects a command will be rewarded.
14 The teaching of the wise is a spring of life,
    to turn from the snares of death.
15 Good understanding wins favor,
    but the way of the unfaithful is hard.
16 Every prudent man acts from knowledge,
    but a fool exposes folly.
17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
    but a trustworthy envoy gains healing.
18 Poverty and shame come to him who refuses discipline,
    but he who heeds correction shall be honored.
19 Longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul,
    but fools detest turning from evil.
20 One who walks with wise men grows wise,
    but a companion of fools suffers harm.
21 Misfortune pursues sinners,
    but prosperity rewards the righteous.
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
    but the wealth of the sinner is stored for the righteous.
23 An abundance of food is in poor people’s fields,
    but injustice sweeps it away.
24 One who spares the rod hates his son,
    but one who loves him is careful to discipline him.
25 The righteous one eats to the satisfying of his soul,
    but the belly of the wicked goes hungry.

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

13 A wise son heeds and accepts [and is the result of] his father’s discipline and instruction,
But a scoffer does not listen to reprimand and does not learn from his errors.

From the fruit of his mouth a [wise] man enjoys good,
But the desire of the treacherous is for violence.

The one who guards his mouth [thinking before he speaks] protects his life;
The one who opens his lips wide [and chatters without thinking] comes to ruin.

The soul (appetite) of the lazy person craves and gets nothing [for lethargy overcomes ambition],
But the soul (appetite) of the diligent [who works willingly] is rich and abundantly supplied.(A)

A righteous man hates lies,
But a wicked man is loathsome, and he acts shamefully.

Righteousness (being in right standing with God) guards the one whose way is blameless,
But wickedness undermines and overthrows the sinner.

There is one who pretends to be rich, yet has nothing at all;
Another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.(B)

The ransom for a man’s life is his wealth,
But the poor man does not even have to listen to a rebuke or threats [from the envious].

The light of the righteous [within him—grows brighter and] rejoices,
But the lamp of the wicked [is a temporary light and] goes out.
10 
Through pride and presumption come nothing but strife,
But [skillful and godly] wisdom is with those who welcome [well-advised] counsel.
11 
Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles,
But he who gathers gradually by [honest] labor will increase [his riches].
12 
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But when desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.
13 
Whoever despises the word and counsel [of God] brings destruction upon himself,
But he who [reverently] fears and respects the commandment [of God] will be rewarded.
14 
The teaching of the wise is a fountain and source of life,
So that one may avoid the snares of death.
15 
Good understanding wins favor [from others],
But the way of the unfaithful is hard [like barren, dry soil].
16 
Every prudent and self-disciplined man acts with knowledge,
But a [closed-minded] fool [who refuses to learn] displays his foolishness [for all to see].
17 
A wicked messenger falls into hardship,
But a faithful ambassador brings healing.
18 
Poverty and shame will come to him who refuses instruction and discipline,
But he who accepts and learns from reproof or censure is honored.
19 
Desire realized is sweet to the soul;
But it is detestable to fools to turn away from evil [which they have planned].
20 
He who walks [as a companion] with wise men will be wise,
But the companions of [conceited, dull-witted] fools [are fools themselves and] will experience harm.(C)
21 
Adversity pursues sinners,
But the [consistently] upright will be rewarded with prosperity.
22 
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for [the hands of] the righteous.
23 
Abundant food is in the fallow (uncultivated) ground of the poor,
But [without protection] it is swept away by injustice.
24 
He who withholds the rod [of discipline] hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines and trains him diligently and appropriately [with wisdom and love].(D)
25 
The [consistently] righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,
But the stomach of the wicked is in need [of bread].