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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.

13 A wise son responds to his father’s discipline,
but a mocker doesn’t listen to rebuke.

From the words of his mouth,
a man will enjoy good things,(A)
but treacherous people have an appetite for violence.(B)

The one who guards his mouth protects his life;(C)
the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.(D)

The slacker craves, yet has nothing,
but the diligent is fully satisfied.(E)

The righteous hate lying,
but the wicked act disgustingly and disgracefully.

Righteousness guards people of integrity,[a]
but wickedness undermines the sinner.(F)

One man pretends to be rich but has nothing;(G)
another pretends to be poor but has great wealth.(H)

Riches are a ransom for a man’s life,(I)
but a poor man hears no threat.

The light of the righteous shines brightly,(J)
but the lamp of the wicked is put out.(K)

10 Arrogance leads to nothing but strife,(L)
but wisdom is gained by those who take advice.

11 Wealth obtained by fraud will dwindle,(M)
but whoever earns it through labor[b] will multiply it.(N)

12 Delayed hope makes the heart sick,
but fulfilled desire is a tree of life.(O)

13 The one who has contempt for instruction will pay the penalty,(P)
but the one who respects a command will be rewarded.(Q)

14 A wise man’s instruction is a fountain of life,(R)
turning people away from the snares of death.(S)

15 Good sense wins favor,(T)
but the way of the treacherous never changes.[c]

16 Every sensible person acts knowledgeably,
but a fool displays his stupidity.(U)

17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
but a trustworthy courier brings healing.(V)

18 Poverty and disgrace come to those
who ignore discipline,
but the one who accepts correction will be honored.(W)

19 Desire fulfilled is sweet to the taste,
but to turn from evil(X)
is an abomination to fools.

20 The one who walks with the wise will become wise,
but a companion of fools will suffer harm.

21 Disaster pursues sinners,
but good rewards the righteous.(Y)

22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his[d] grandchildren,
but the sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.(Z)

23 The uncultivated field of the poor yields abundant food,
but without justice, it is swept away.

24 The one who will not use the rod hates his son,(AA)
but the one who loves him disciplines him diligently.(AB)

25 A righteous man eats until he is satisfied,
but the stomach of the wicked is empty.(AC)

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:6 Lit guards integrity of way
  2. Proverbs 13:11 Lit whoever gathers upon [his] hand
  3. Proverbs 13:15 LXX, Syr, Tg read treacherous will perish
  4. Proverbs 13:22 Or inheritance: his

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