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

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.