Print Page Options Listen to Proverbs 13

Wisdom Loves Righteousness

13 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
(A)But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

(B)A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth,
But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.
(C)He who guards his mouth preserves his life,
But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

(D)The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

A righteous man hates lying,
But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.
(E)Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,
But wickedness overthrows the sinner.

(F)There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing;
And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.

The ransom of a man’s life is his riches,
But the poor does not hear rebuke.

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.

23 (T)Much food is in the [c]fallow ground of the poor,
And for lack of justice there is [d]waste.

24 (U)He who spares his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him [e]promptly.

25 (V)The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul,
But the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:15 gives
  2. Proverbs 13:18 Lit. ignores
  3. Proverbs 13:23 uncultivated
  4. Proverbs 13:23 Lit. what is swept away
  5. Proverbs 13:24 early

Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked

13 A (A)wise son accepts his father’s discipline,
But a (B)scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
From the fruit of a person’s mouth he [a](C)enjoys good,
But the [b]desire of the treacherous is (D)violence.
One who (E)guards his mouth protects his life;
One who (F)opens wide his lips [c]comes to ruin.
The soul of the [d]lazy one craves and gets nothing,
But the soul of the diligent is made [e]prosperous.
A righteous person (G)hates a false statement,
But a wicked person [f](H)acts disgustingly and shamefully.
Righteousness (I)guards the [g]one whose way is blameless,
But wickedness brings the [h]sinner to ruin.
There is one who (J)pretends to be rich but has nothing;
Another pretends to be (K)poor, but has great wealth.
The ransom of a person’s life is his wealth,
But the poor hears no rebuke.
The (L)light of the righteous [i]rejoices,
But the (M)lamp of the wicked goes out.
10 Through overconfidence [j]comes nothing but strife,
But wisdom is with those who receive counsel.
11 Wealth obtained from [k]nothing dwindles,
But one who gathers [l]by labor increases it.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But desire [m]fulfilled is a tree of life.
13 One who (N)despises the word will do badly,
But 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 [o]their own disaster.
16 Every (S)prudent person acts with knowledge,
But a fool [p]displays foolishness.
17 A wicked messenger falls into adversity,
But (T)a faithful messenger brings healing.
18 Poverty and shame will come to one who (U)neglects [q]discipline,
But one who complies with rebuke 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)One who walks with wise people will be wise,
But a companion of fools will suffer harm.
21 (W)Adversity pursues sinners,
But the (X)righteous will be rewarded with prosperity.
22 A good person (Y)leaves an inheritance to his [r]grandchildren,
And the (Z)wealth of a sinner is stored up for the righteous.
23 (AA)Abundant food is in the uncultivated ground of the poor,
But [s]it is swept away by injustice.
24 He who (AB)withholds his [t]rod hates his son,
But he who loves him [u](AC)disciplines him diligently.
25 The (AD)righteous [v]has enough to satisfy his appetite,
But the stomach of the (AE)wicked is in need.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:2 Lit eats
  2. Proverbs 13:2 Lit soul
  3. Proverbs 13:3 Lit ruin is his
  4. Proverbs 13:4 Lit idle
  5. Proverbs 13:4 Lit fat
  6. Proverbs 13:5 Lit causes a bad odor and causes shame
  7. Proverbs 13:6 Lit blamelessness of way
  8. Proverbs 13:6 Lit sin
  9. Proverbs 13:9 I.e., shines brightly
  10. Proverbs 13:10 Lit gives
  11. Proverbs 13:11 Prob. referring to fraud
  12. Proverbs 13:11 Lit by hand
  13. Proverbs 13:12 Lit coming
  14. Proverbs 13:14 Or law
  15. Proverbs 13:15 Cf. LXX in destruction; MT constant
  16. Proverbs 13:16 Lit spreads out
  17. Proverbs 13:18 Or instruction
  18. Proverbs 13:22 Lit sons’ sons
  19. Proverbs 13:23 Lit there is what is swept
  20. Proverbs 13:24 I.e., correction or discipline
  21. Proverbs 13:24 Lit seeks him diligently with discipline
  22. Proverbs 13:25 Lit eats to the satisfaction of his soul

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

13 A wise son heeds and accepts [and is the result of] his father’s discipline and instruction,
But a scoffer does not listen to reprimand and does not learn from his errors.

From the fruit of his mouth a [wise] man enjoys good,
But the desire of the treacherous is for violence.

The one who guards his mouth [thinking before he speaks] protects his life;
The one who opens his lips wide [and chatters without thinking] comes to ruin.

The soul (appetite) of the lazy person craves and gets nothing [for lethargy overcomes ambition],
But the soul (appetite) of the diligent [who works willingly] is rich and abundantly supplied.(A)

A righteous man hates lies,
But a wicked man is loathsome, and he acts shamefully.

Righteousness (being in right standing with God) guards the one whose way is blameless,
But wickedness undermines and overthrows the sinner.

There is one who pretends to be rich, yet has nothing at all;
Another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.(B)

The ransom for a man’s life is his wealth,
But the poor man does not even have to listen to a rebuke or threats [from the envious].

The light of the righteous [within him—grows brighter and] rejoices,
But the lamp of the wicked [is a temporary light and] goes out.
10 
Through pride and presumption come nothing but strife,
But [skillful and godly] wisdom is with those who welcome [well-advised] counsel.
11 
Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles,
But he who gathers gradually by [honest] labor will increase [his riches].
12 
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But when desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.
13 
Whoever despises the word and counsel [of God] brings destruction upon himself,
But he who [reverently] fears and respects the commandment [of God] will be rewarded.
14 
The teaching of the wise is a fountain and source of life,
So that one may avoid the snares of death.
15 
Good understanding wins favor [from others],
But the way of the unfaithful is hard [like barren, dry soil].
16 
Every prudent and self-disciplined man acts with knowledge,
But a [closed-minded] fool [who refuses to learn] displays his foolishness [for all to see].
17 
A wicked messenger falls into hardship,
But a faithful ambassador brings healing.
18 
Poverty and shame will come to him who refuses instruction and discipline,
But he who accepts and learns from reproof or censure is honored.
19 
Desire realized is sweet to the soul;
But it is detestable to fools to turn away from evil [which they have planned].
20 
He who walks [as a companion] with wise men will be wise,
But the companions of [conceited, dull-witted] fools [are fools themselves and] will experience harm.(C)
21 
Adversity pursues sinners,
But the [consistently] upright will be rewarded with prosperity.
22 
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for [the hands of] the righteous.
23 
Abundant food is in the fallow (uncultivated) ground of the poor,
But [without protection] it is swept away by injustice.
24 
He who withholds the rod [of discipline] hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines and trains him diligently and appropriately [with wisdom and love].(D)
25 
The [consistently] righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,
But the stomach of the wicked is in need [of bread].

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

13 A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke.

A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence.

He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame.

Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.

There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.

The ransom of a man's life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke.

The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.

10 Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.

11 Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.

12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

13 Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.

14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

15 Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.

16 Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly.

17 A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador is health.

18 Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.

19 The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil.

20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

21 Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repayed.

22 A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

23 Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment.

24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

25 The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want.