Proverbs 13
Legacy Standard Bible
13 A (A)wise son accepts his father’s discipline,
But a (B)scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
2 From the fruit of a man’s mouth he (C)eats what is good,
But the soul of the treacherous desires (D)violence.
3 The one who (E)guards his mouth keeps his soul;
The one who (F)opens wide his lips [a]comes to ruin.
4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
But the soul of the diligent is enriched.
5 A righteous man (G)hates a lying word,
But a wicked man [b](H)acts odiously and is humiliated.
6 Righteousness (I)guards the [c]one whose way is blameless,
But wickedness subverts the [d]sinner.
7 There is one who (J)pretends to be rich, but has nothing;
Another [e]pretends to be (K)poor, but has great wealth.
8 The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,
But the poor hears no rebuke.
9 The (L)light of the righteous is glad,
But the (M)lamp of the wicked goes out.
10 With arrogance [f]comes only quarreling,
But with those who receive counsel is wisdom.
11 Wealth obtained from empty effort dwindles,
But the one who gathers [g]with his hand abounds.
12 [h]Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But desire [i]fulfilled is a tree of life.
13 The one who (N)despises the word will be [j]in debt to it,
But the one who fears the commandment will be (O)rewarded.
14 The [k]instruction of the wise is a (P)fountain of life,
To turn aside from the (Q)snares of death.
15 (R)Good insight gives grace,
But the way of the treacherous is [l]unrelenting.
16 Every (S)prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool spreads out folly.
17 A wicked messenger falls into evil,
But (T)a faithful envoy brings healing.
18 Poverty and disgrace come to him who (U)neglects [m]discipline,
But he who keeps reproof will be honored.
19 Desire realized is pleasant to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil.
20 (V)He who walks with the wise will be wise,
But the friend of fools will suffer harm.
21 (W)Evil pursues sinners,
But the (X)righteous are repaid with good.
22 A good man (Y)leaves an inheritance to his [n]children’s children,
And the (Z)wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
23 (AA)Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor,
But [o]it is swept away by injustice.
24 He who (AB)holds back his [p]rod hates his son,
But he who loves him [q](AC)disciplines him diligently.
25 The (AD)righteous eats to the satisfaction of his soul,
But the stomach of the (AE)wicked lacks.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 13:3 Lit ruin is his
- Proverbs 13:5 Lit causes a bad odor and causes shame
- Proverbs 13:6 Lit blamelessness of way
- Proverbs 13:6 Lit sin
- Proverbs 13:7 Lit impoverishes himself
- Proverbs 13:10 Lit gives
- Proverbs 13:11 Or gradually
- Proverbs 13:12 Lit Expectation
- Proverbs 13:12 Lit coming
- Proverbs 13:13 Lit pledged to it
- Proverbs 13:14 Or law
- Proverbs 13:15 Lit constant
- Proverbs 13:18 Or instruction
- Proverbs 13:22 Lit sons’ sons
- Proverbs 13:23 Lit there is what is swept
- Proverbs 13:24 Correction, discipline
- Proverbs 13:24 Lit seeks him earnestly with discipline
Proverbs 13
The Message
Walk with the Wise
13 Intelligent children listen to their parents;
foolish children do their own thing.
2 The good acquire a taste for helpful conversation;
bullies push and shove their way through life.
3 Careful words make for a careful life;
careless talk may ruin everything.
4 Indolence wants it all and gets nothing;
the energetic have something to show for their lives.
5 A good person hates false talk;
a bad person wallows in gibberish.
6 A God-loyal life keeps you on track;
sin dumps the wicked in the ditch.
7 A pretentious, showy life is an empty life;
a plain and simple life is a full life.
8 The rich can be sued for everything they have,
but the poor are free of such threats.
9 The lives of good people are brightly lit streets;
the lives of the wicked are dark alleys.
10 Arrogant know-it-alls stir up discord,
but wise men and women listen to each other’s counsel.
11 Easy come, easy go,
but steady diligence pays off.
12 Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick,
but a sudden good break can turn life around.
13 Ignore the Word and suffer;
honor God’s commands and grow rich.
14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
so, no more drinking from death-tainted wells!
15 Sound thinking makes for gracious living,
but liars walk a rough road.
16 A commonsense person lives good sense;
fools litter the country with silliness.
17 Irresponsible talk makes a real mess of things,
but a reliable reporter is a healing presence.
18 Refuse discipline and end up homeless;
embrace correction and live an honored life.
19 Souls who follow their hearts thrive;
fools bent on evil despise matters of soul.
20 Become wise by walking with the wise;
hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.
21 Disaster entraps sinners,
but God-loyal people get a good life.
22 A good life gets passed on to the grandchildren;
ill-gotten wealth ends up with good people.
23 Banks foreclose on the farms of the poor,
or else the poor lose their shirts to crooked lawyers.
24 A refusal to correct is a refusal to love;
love your children by disciplining them.
25 An appetite for good brings much satisfaction,
but the belly of the wicked always wants more.
Proverbs 13
New International Version
13 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
but a mocker does not respond to rebukes.(A)
2 From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things,(B)
but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence.
3 Those who guard their lips(C) preserve their lives,(D)
but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.(E)
4 A sluggard’s appetite is never filled,(F)
but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.
5 The righteous hate what is false,(G)
but the wicked make themselves a stench
and bring shame on themselves.
6 Righteousness guards the person of integrity,
but wickedness overthrows the sinner.(H)
7 One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;(I)
another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.(J)
8 A person’s riches may ransom their life,
but the poor cannot respond to threatening rebukes.(K)
9 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)
15 Good judgment wins favor,
but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction.[a]
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)
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
- Proverbs 13:15 Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Proverbs 13:16 Or prudent protect themselves through
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