Wise Ways to Live
13 A wise son accepts his father’s discipline,
but a scornful son does not listen to a reprimand.
2 From the fruit of his mouth a person eats well,
but treacherous people have an appetite for violence.
3 Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life.
Whoever opens his lips carelessly ruins himself.
4 The appetite of a lazy person craves things, but he gets nothing.
The appetite of hardworking people is fully satisfied.
5 A righteous person hates everything false,
but a wicked person causes disgrace and shame.
6 Righteousness guards a person who has integrity,
but wickedness perverts a sinner.
7 One person pretends to be rich but has nothing.
Another pretends to be poor but has great wealth.
8 A man’s riches may ransom his life,
but a poor man does not hear a threat.
9 The light of the righteous brings joy,
but the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
10 Insolence produces only strife,
but wisdom resides with those who take advice.
11 Wealth gained out of thin air[a] shrinks,
but wealth accumulated by steady work grows.
12 Hope delayed makes a heart sick,
but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
13 The person who despises a word of instruction will pay the price,
but the person who respects a command will be rewarded.
14 The teaching of a wise person is a fountain of life.
It can turn someone away from the snares of death.
15 Good sense yields grace,
but the way of the treacherous is unchanging.[b]
16 Every sensible person acts with knowledge,
but a fool displays stupidity.
17 A wicked[c] messenger falls into trouble,
but a trustworthy envoy brings healing.
18 A person who ignores discipline ends up with poverty and shame,
but one who conforms to correction will be honored.
19 A desire that is fulfilled tastes sweet to the soul,
but to fools it is disgusting[d] to turn from evil.
20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
but a companion of fools suffers harm.
21 Trouble pursues sinners,
but goodness repays the righteous.
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.
23 The farmland of the poor may produce much food,
but it may be swept away by injustice.
24 A person who withholds his rod hates his son,
but one who loves him administers discipline promptly.
25 A righteous person eats until his appetite is satisfied,
but the stomach of the wicked is always empty.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 13:11 Or dishonestly. A variant in the versions is too quickly.
- Proverbs 13:15 Or inescapable. The Hebrew reads the way of the treacherous always flows (that is, it is enduring). The translation above attempts to make sense of this difficult reading without emendation. Common emendations are to add the word not to the sentence (the way of the treacherous does not endure) or to change enduring to hard.
- Proverbs 13:17 Or an unreliable
- Proverbs 13:19 Or an abomination