Proverbs 13
New American Standard Bible 1995
Contrast the Upright and the Wicked
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 [a](C)enjoys good,
But the [b]desire of the treacherous is (D)violence.
3 The one who (E)guards his mouth preserves his life;
The one who (F)opens wide his lips [c]comes to ruin.
4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
But the soul of the diligent is made fat.
5 A righteous man (G)hates falsehood,
But a wicked man [d](H)acts disgustingly and shamefully.
6 Righteousness (I)guards the [e]one whose way is blameless,
But wickedness subverts the [f]sinner.
7 There is one who (J)pretends to be rich, but has nothing;
Another [g]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 [h]rejoices,
But the (M)lamp of the wicked goes out.
10 Through insolence [i]comes nothing but strife,
But wisdom is with those who receive counsel.
11 Wealth obtained by [j]fraud dwindles,
But the one who gathers [k]by labor increases it.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But desire [l]fulfilled is a tree of life.
13 The one who (N)despises the word will be [m]in debt to it,
But the 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 hard.
16 Every (S)prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool [o]displays folly.
17 A wicked messenger falls into adversity,
But (T)a faithful envoy brings healing.
18 Poverty and shame will come to him who (U)neglects [p]discipline,
But he who regards reproof 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)He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will suffer harm.
21 (W)Adversity pursues sinners,
But the (X)righteous will be rewarded with prosperity.
22 A good man (Y)leaves an inheritance to his [q]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 [r]it is swept away by injustice.
24 He who (AB)withholds his [s]rod hates his son,
But he who loves him [t](AC)disciplines him diligently.
25 The (AD)righteous [u]has enough to satisfy his appetite,
But the stomach of the (AE)wicked is in need.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 13:2 Lit eats
- Proverbs 13:2 Lit soul
- 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 13:9 I.e. shines brightly
- Proverbs 13:10 Lit gives
- Proverbs 13:11 Lit vanity
- Proverbs 13:11 Or gradually; lit on the hand
- Proverbs 13:12 Lit coming
- Proverbs 13:13 Lit pledged to it
- Proverbs 13:14 Or law
- Proverbs 13:16 Lit spreads out
- Proverbs 13:18 Or instruction
- Proverbs 13:22 Lit sons’ sons
- Proverbs 13:23 Lit there is what is swept
- Proverbs 13:24 I.e. correction or discipline
- Proverbs 13:24 Lit seeks him diligently with discipline
- Proverbs 13:25 Lit eats to the satisfaction of his soul
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
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
