13 A wise son hears his father’s instruction,
but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
2 From the fruit of his mouth a good man eats good,
but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.
3 He who guards his mouth preserves his life;
he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
4 The soul of the sluggard craves, and gets nothing,
while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
5 A righteous man hates falsehood,
but a wicked man acts shamefully and disgracefully.
6 Righteousness guards him whose way is upright,
but sin overthrows the wicked.
7 One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;
another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
8 The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,
but a poor man has no means of redemption.[a]
9 The light of the righteous rejoices,
but the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
10 By insolence the heedless make strife,
but with those who take advice is wisdom.
11 Wealth hastily gotten[b] will dwindle,
but he who gathers little by little will increase it.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
13 He who despises the word brings destruction on himself,
but he who respects the commandment will be rewarded.
14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
that one may avoid the snares of death.
15 Good sense wins favor,
but the way of the faithless is their ruin.[c]
16 In everything a prudent man acts with knowledge,
but a fool flaunts his folly.
17 A bad messenger plunges men into trouble,
but a faithful envoy brings healing.
18 Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction,
but he who heeds reproof is honored.
19 A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul;
but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.
20 He who walks with wise men becomes wise,
but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
21 Misfortune pursues sinners,
but prosperity rewards the righteous.
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.
23 The fallow ground of the poor yields much food,
but it is swept away through injustice.
24 He who spares the rod hates his son,
but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
25 The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,
but the belly of the wicked suffers want.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 13:8 Cn: Heb does not hear rebuke
- Proverbs 13:11 Gk Vg: Heb from vanity
- Proverbs 13:15 Cn Compare Gk Syr Vg Tg: Heb is enduring