Proverbs 13
New King James Version
Wisdom Loves Righteousness
13 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
(A)But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
2 (B)A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth,
But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.
3 (C)He who guards his mouth preserves his life,
But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.
4 (D)The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
5 A righteous man hates lying,
But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.
6 (E)Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,
But wickedness overthrows the sinner.
7 (F)There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing;
And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.
8 The ransom of a man’s life is his riches,
But the poor does not hear rebuke.
9 The light of the righteous rejoices,
(G)But the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
10 By pride comes nothing but (H)strife,
But with the well-advised is wisdom.
11 (I)Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But (J)when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
13 He who (K)despises the word will be destroyed,
But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.
14 (L)The law of the wise is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from (M)the snares of death.
15 Good understanding [a]gains (N)favor,
But the way of the unfaithful is hard.
16 (O)Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool lays open his folly.
17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
But (P)a faithful ambassador brings health.
18 Poverty and shame will come to him who [b]disdains correction,
But (Q)he who regards a rebuke will be honored.
19 A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.
20 He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will be destroyed.
21 (R)Evil pursues sinners,
But to the righteous, good shall be repaid.
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
But (S)the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
25 (V)The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul,
But the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 13:15 gives
- Proverbs 13:18 Lit. ignores
- Proverbs 13:23 uncultivated
- Proverbs 13:23 Lit. what is swept away
- Proverbs 13:24 early
Proverbs 13
GOD’S WORD Translation
A Wise Son Lives Righteously
13 A wise son listens to his father’s discipline,
but a mocker does not listen to reprimands.
2 A person eats well as a result of his speaking ability,
but the appetite of treacherous people ⌞craves⌟ violence.
3 Whoever controls his mouth protects his own life.
Whoever has a big mouth comes to ruin.
4 A lazy person craves food and there is none,
but the appetite of hard-working people is satisfied.
5 A righteous person hates lying,
but a wicked person behaves with shame and disgrace.
6 Righteousness protects the honest way of life,
but wickedness ruins a sacrifice for sin.
7 One person pretends to be rich but has nothing.
Another pretends to be poor but has great wealth.
8 A person’s riches are the ransom for his life,
but the poor person does not pay attention to threats.
9 The light of righteous people beams brightly,
but the lamp of wicked people will be snuffed out.
10 Arrogance produces only quarreling,
but those who take advice gain wisdom.
11 Wealth ⌞gained⌟ through injustice dwindles away,
but whoever gathers little by little has plenty.
12 Delayed hope makes one sick at heart,
but a fulfilled longing is a tree of life.
13 Whoever despises ⌞God’s⌟ words will pay the penalty,
but the one who fears ⌞God’s⌟ commands will be rewarded.
14 The teachings of a wise person are a fountain of life
to turn ⌞one⌟ away from the grasp of death.
15 Good sense brings favor,
but the way of treacherous people is always the same.[a]
16 Any sensible person acts with knowledge,
but a fool displays stupidity.
17 An undependable messenger gets into trouble,
but a dependable envoy brings healing.
18 Poverty and shame come to a person who ignores discipline,
but whoever pays attention to constructive criticism will be honored.
19 A fulfilled desire is sweet to the soul,
but turning from evil is disgusting to fools.
20 Whoever walks with wise people will be wise,
but whoever associates with fools will suffer.
21 Disaster hunts down sinners,
but righteous people are rewarded with good.
22 Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren,
but the wealth of sinners is stored away for a righteous person.
23 When poor people are able to plow, there is much food,
but a person is swept away where there is no justice.
24 Whoever refuses to spank his son hates him,
but whoever loves his son disciplines him from early on.
25 A righteous person eats to satisfy his appetite,
but the bellies of wicked people are always empty.
Footnotes
- 13:15 Masoretic Text; Greek “is their disaster.”
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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