13 智慧兒聽從父訓,
    嘲諷者不聽責備。
口出良言嚐善果,
    奸徒貪行殘暴事[a]
說話謹慎,可保性命;
    口無遮攔,自取滅亡。
懶惰人空有幻想,
    勤快人心想事成。
義人憎惡虛謊,
    惡人行事可恥。
公義守衛正直的人,
    邪惡傾覆犯罪之徒。
有人強充富有,
    其實身無分文;
    有人假裝貧窮,
    卻是腰纏萬貫。
富人用財富贖命,
    窮人卻免受驚嚇。
義人的光燦爛,
    惡人的燈熄滅。
10 自高自大招惹紛爭,
    虛心受教才是睿智。
11 不義之財必耗盡,
    勤儉積蓄財富增。
12 盼望無期,使人憂傷;
    夙願得償,帶來生機[b]
13 蔑視訓言,自招滅亡;
    敬畏誡命,必得賞賜。
14 智者的訓言是生命之泉,
    可使人避開死亡的網羅。
15 睿智使人蒙恩惠,
    奸徒之路通滅亡。
16 明哲知而後行,
    愚人炫耀愚昧。
17 奸惡的使者陷入災禍,
    忠誠的使者帶來醫治。
18 不受管教的貧窮羞愧,
    接受責備的受到尊崇。
19 願望實現使心甘甜,
    遠離惡事為愚人憎惡。
20 與智者同行必得智慧,
    與愚人結伴必受虧損。
21 禍患追趕罪人,
    義人必得善報。
22 善人為子孫留下產業,
    罪人給義人積聚財富。
23 窮人的田地出產豐富,
    因不公而被搶掠一空。
24 不用杖管教兒女是憎惡他們,
    疼愛兒女的隨時管教他們。
25 義人豐衣足食,
    惡人食不果腹。

Footnotes

  1. 13·2 奸徒貪行殘暴事」或譯「奸徒必飽受虐待」。
  2. 13·12 帶來生機」希伯來文是「使人像棵生命樹」。

Wise Friends Make You Wise

13 Children with good sense
    accept correction
    from their parents,
but stubborn children
    ignore it completely.
You will be well rewarded
    for saying something kind,
but all some people think about
    is how to be cruel and mean.
(A) Keep what you know to yourself,
    and you will be safe;
talk too much,
    and you are done for.
No matter how much you want,
    laziness won't help a bit,
but hard work will reward you
    with more than enough.
A good person hates deceit,
but those who are evil
    cause shame and disgrace.
Live right, and you are safe!
    But sin will destroy you.

Some who have nothing
    may pretend to be rich,
and some who have everything
    may pretend to be poor.
The rich may have
    to pay a ransom,
but the poor don't have
    that problem.
The lamp of a good person
    keeps on shining;
the lamp of an evil person
    soon goes out.
10 Too much pride causes trouble.
    Be sensible and take advice.

11 Money wrongly[a] gained
    will disappear bit by bit;
money earned little by little
    will grow and grow.
12 Not getting what you want
    can break your heart,
but a wish that comes true
    is a life-giving tree.
13 If you reject God's teaching,
    you will pay the price;
if you obey his commands,
    you will be rewarded.

14 Sensible instruction
    is a life-giving fountain
that helps you escape
    all deadly traps.
15 Sound judgment is praised,
but people without good sense
    are on the way to disaster.[b]
16 If you have good sense,
you will act sensibly,
    but fools act like fools.
17 Whoever delivers your message
can make things better
    or worse for you.

18 All who refuse correction
    will be poor and disgraced;
all who accept correction
    will be praised.
19 It's a good feeling
    to get what you want,
but only a stupid fool
    hates to turn from evil.
20 (B) Wise friends make you wise,
but you hurt yourself
    by going around with fools.
21 You are in for trouble
    if you sin,
but you will be rewarded
    if you live right.
22 If you obey God,
you will have something
    to leave your grandchildren.
If you don't obey God,
those who live right
    will get what you leave.

23 Even when the land of the poor
    produces good crops,
they get cheated
    out of what they grow.[c]
24 If you love your children,
    you will correct them;
if you don't love them,
    you won't correct them.
25 If you live right,
    you will have plenty to eat;
if you don't live right,
    you will go away empty.

Footnotes

  1. 13.11 wrongly: Or “quickly.”
  2. 13.15 people … disaster: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  3. 13.23 grow: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 23.

13 Un fiu înţelept ascultă învăţătura tatălui său,
dar(A) batjocoritorul n-ascultă mustrarea.
Prin rodul gurii(B) ai parte de bine,
dar cei stricaţi au parte de silnicie.
Cine-şi(C) păzeşte gura îşi păzeşte sufletul;
cine-şi deschide buzele mari aleargă spre pieirea lui.
Leneşul(D) doreşte mult, şi totuşi n-are nimic,
dar cei harnici se satură.
Cel neprihănit urăşte cuvintele mincinoase,
dar cel rău se face urât şi se acoperă de ruşine.
Neprihănirea(E) păzeşte pe cel nevinovat,
dar răutatea aduce pierzarea păcătosului.
Unul(F) face pe bogatul, şi n-are nimic,
altul face pe săracul, şi are totuşi mari avuţii.
Omul cu bogăţia lui îşi răscumpără viaţa,
dar săracul n-ascultă mustrarea.
Lumina(G) celor neprihăniţi arde voioasă,
dar candela celor răi se stinge.
10 Prin mândrie se aţâţă numai certuri,
dar înţelepciunea este cu cel ce ascultă sfaturile.
11 Bogăţia(H) câştigată fără trudă scade,
dar ce se strânge încetul cu încetul creşte.
12 O nădejde amânată îmbolnăveşte inima,
dar o dorinţă(I) împlinită este un pom de viaţă.
13 Cine nesocoteşte(J) Cuvântul Domnului se pierde,
dar cine se teme de poruncă este răsplătit.
14 Învăţătura(K) înţeleptului este un izvor de viaţă,
ca să abată pe om din cursele(L) morţii.
15 O minte sănătoasă câştigă bunăvoinţă,
dar calea celor stricaţi este pietroasă.
16 Orice(M) om chibzuit lucrează cu cunoştinţă,
dar nebunul îşi dă la iveală nebunia.
17 Un sol rău cade în nenorocire,
dar un sol credincios(N) aduce tămăduire.
18 Sărăcia şi ruşinea sunt partea celui ce leapădă certarea,
dar cel(O) ce ia seama la mustrare este pus în cinste.
19 Împlinirea unei dorinţe(P) este dulce sufletului,
dar celor nebuni le este urât să se lase de rău.
20 Cine umblă cu înţelepţii se face înţelept,
dar cui îi place să se însoţească cu nebunii o duce rău.
21 Nenorocirea urmăreşte pe cei(Q) ce păcătuiesc,
dar cei neprihăniţi vor fi răsplătiţi cu fericire.
22 Omul de bine lasă moştenitori pe copiii copiilor săi,
dar bogăţiile(R) păcătosului sunt păstrate pentru cel neprihănit.
23 Ogorul pe care-l desţeleneşte săracul dă o hrană(S) îmbelşugată,
dar mulţi pier din pricina nedreptăţii lor.
24 Cine(T) cruţă nuiaua urăşte pe fiul său,
dar cine-l iubeşte îl pedepseşte îndată.
25 Cel(U) neprihănit mănâncă până se satură,
dar pântecele celor răi duce lipsă.

13 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
    but a mocker does not respond to rebukes.(A)

From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things,(B)
    but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence.

Those who guard their lips(C) preserve their lives,(D)
    but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.(E)

A sluggard’s appetite is never filled,(F)
    but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

The righteous hate what is false,(G)
    but the wicked make themselves a stench
    and bring shame on themselves.

Righteousness guards the person of integrity,
    but wickedness overthrows the sinner.(H)

One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;(I)
    another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.(J)

A person’s riches may ransom their life,
    but the poor cannot respond to threatening rebukes.(K)

The light of the righteous shines brightly,
    but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.(L)

10 Where there is strife, there is pride,
    but wisdom is found in those who take advice.(M)

11 Dishonest money dwindles away,(N)
    but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
    but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.(O)

13 Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it,(P)
    but whoever respects(Q) a command is rewarded.(R)

14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,(S)
    turning a person from the snares of death.(T)

15 Good judgment wins favor,
    but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction.[a]

16 All who are prudent act with[b] knowledge,
    but fools expose(U) their folly.(V)

17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,(W)
    but a trustworthy envoy brings healing.(X)

18 Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame,(Y)
    but whoever heeds correction is honored.(Z)

19 A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul,(AA)
    but fools detest turning from evil.

20 Walk with the wise and become wise,
    for a companion of fools suffers harm.(AB)

21 Trouble pursues the sinner,(AC)
    but the righteous(AD) are rewarded with good things.(AE)

22 A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children,
    but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.(AF)

23 An unplowed field produces food for the poor,
    but injustice sweeps it away.

24 Whoever spares the rod(AG) hates their children,
    but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline(AH) them.(AI)

25 The righteous eat to their hearts’ content,
    but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry.(AJ)

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:15 Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  2. Proverbs 13:16 Or prudent protect themselves through