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13 A wise child hears the discipline of a father,
    but a scoffer does not listen to a rebuke.
From the fruit of the mouth of a man, he shall eat what is good,
    but the desire[a] of the treacherous, wrongdoing.
He who keeps his mouth guards his life;[b]
    he who opens his lips, ruin belongs to him.
The soul[c] of the lazy craves, but there is nothing,
    but the person of diligence is richly supplied.
The righteous hates a word of falsehood;
    the wicked will bring shame and disgrace.[d]
Righteousness will guard the upright of way,
    but wickedness will overthrow sin.
There is one who acts rich but has nothing;[e]
    another who pretends to be poor but has wealth.
The ransom of the life of a man is his wealth,
    but the poor does not receive a threat.
The light of the righteous will rejoice,
    but the lamp of the wicked will die out.
10 Only by insolence is strife set up,
    and wisdom is with those who take advice.
11 Wealth gained from haste[f] will dwindle,
    but he who gathers little by little[g] will increase it.
12 Hope that is deferred makes the heart[h] sick,
    but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
13 He who despises a word will bring destruction on himself,
    but he who respects a commandment will be rewarded.
14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
    in order to avoid the snares of death.
15 Good sense grants favor,
    but the way of the faithless is coarse.
16 Anyone who is clever will act with intelligence,
    but the fool will display folly.
17 A messenger of wickedness will fall into trouble,
    but an envoy of the faithful brings healing.
18 Poverty and disgrace belong to him who ignores instruction,
    but he who guards reproof will be honored.
19 A desire fulfilled[i] will be sweet to the soul,
    but an abomination of fools is turning from evil.
20 Walk with the wise and be wise,
    but as for the companion of fools, he will suffer harm.
21 Misfortune will pursue sinners,
    but the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity.[j]
22 He who is good will leave an inheritance to his grandchildren,[k]
    and stored up for the righteous is the wealth of a sinner.
23 There is much food in the field of the poor,
    but it is swept away[l] by injustice.[m]
24 He who withholds his rod hates his child,
    but he who loves him gives him[n] discipline.
25 The righteous eats to satisfy his life,[o]
    but the belly of the wicked will lack.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:2 Or “soul”
  2. Proverbs 13:3 Or “soul,” or “inner self”
  3. Proverbs 13:4 Or “life”
  4. Proverbs 13:5 Literally “he will bring disgrace”
  5. Proverbs 13:7 Literally “there is no”
  6. Proverbs 13:11 Or “vanity”
  7. Proverbs 13:11 Literally “upon the hand”
  8. Proverbs 13:12 Or “mind”
  9. Proverbs 13:19 Literally “made to be,” “brought about”
  10. Proverbs 13:21 Literally “it will reward prosperity”
  11. Proverbs 13:22 Literally “sons of sons”
  12. Proverbs 13:23 Literally “there is sweeping away”
  13. Proverbs 13:23 Literally “no justice”
  14. Proverbs 13:24 Literally “visits him”
  15. Proverbs 13:25 Or “soul,” or “inner self”

Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked

13 A (A)wise son accepts his father’s discipline,
But a (B)scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
From the fruit of a person’s mouth he [a](C)enjoys good,
But the [b]desire of the treacherous is (D)violence.
One who (E)guards his mouth protects his life;
One who (F)opens wide his lips [c]comes to ruin.
The soul of the [d]lazy one craves and gets nothing,
But the soul of the diligent is made [e]prosperous.
A righteous person (G)hates a false statement,
But a wicked person [f](H)acts disgustingly and shamefully.
Righteousness (I)guards the [g]one whose way is blameless,
But wickedness brings the [h]sinner to ruin.
There is one who (J)pretends to be rich but has nothing;
Another pretends to be (K)poor, but has great wealth.
The ransom of a person’s life is his wealth,
But the poor hears no rebuke.
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.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:2 Lit eats
  2. Proverbs 13:2 Lit soul
  3. Proverbs 13:3 Lit ruin is his
  4. Proverbs 13:4 Lit idle
  5. Proverbs 13:4 Lit fat
  6. Proverbs 13:5 Lit causes a bad odor and causes shame
  7. Proverbs 13:6 Lit blamelessness of way
  8. Proverbs 13:6 Lit sin
  9. Proverbs 13:9 I.e., shines brightly
  10. Proverbs 13:10 Lit gives
  11. Proverbs 13:11 Prob. referring to fraud
  12. Proverbs 13:11 Lit by hand
  13. Proverbs 13:12 Lit coming
  14. Proverbs 13:14 Or law
  15. Proverbs 13:15 Cf. LXX in destruction; MT constant
  16. Proverbs 13:16 Lit spreads out
  17. Proverbs 13:18 Or instruction
  18. Proverbs 13:22 Lit sons’ sons
  19. Proverbs 13:23 Lit there is what is swept
  20. Proverbs 13:24 I.e., correction or discipline
  21. Proverbs 13:24 Lit seeks him diligently with discipline
  22. Proverbs 13:25 Lit eats to the satisfaction of his soul

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