Proverbs 13

Chapter 13

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

¹A ^awise son accepts his father’s discipline,

But a ^bscoffer does not listen to rebuke.

²From the fruit of a man’s mouth he ^1aenjoys good,

But the ²desire of the treacherous is ^bviolence.

³The one who ^aguards his mouth preserves his life;

The one who ^bopens wide his lips ¹comes to ruin.

⁴The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,

But the soul of the diligent is made fat.

⁵A righteous man ^ahates falsehood,

But a wicked man ^1bacts disgustingly and shamefully.

⁶Righteousness ^aguards the ¹one whose way is blameless,

But wickedness subverts the ²sinner.

⁷There is one who ^apretends to be rich, but has nothing;

Another ¹pretends to be ^bpoor, but has great wealth.

⁸The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,

But the poor hears no rebuke.

⁹The ^alight of the righteous ¹rejoices,

But the ^blamp of the wicked goes out.

¹⁰Through insolence ¹comes nothing but strife,

But wisdom is with those who receive counsel.

¹¹Wealth obtained by ¹fraud dwindles,

But the one who gathers ²by labor increases it.

¹²Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

But desire ¹fulfilled is a tree of life.

¹³The one who ^adespises the word will be ¹in debt to it,

But the one who fears the commandment will be ^brewarded.

¹⁴The ¹teaching of the wise is a ^afountain of life,

To turn aside from the ^bsnares of death.

^15aGood understanding produces favor,

But the way of the treacherous is hard.

¹⁶Every ^aprudent man acts with knowledge,

But a fool ¹displays folly.

¹⁷A wicked messenger falls into adversity,

But ^aa faithful envoy brings healing.

¹⁸Poverty and shame will come to him who ^aneglects ¹discipline,

But he who regards reproof will be honored.

¹⁹Desire realized is sweet to the soul,

But it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil.

^20aHe who walks with wise men will be wise,

But the companion of fools will suffer harm.

^21aAdversity pursues sinners,

But the ^brighteous will be rewarded with prosperity.

²²A good man ^aleaves an inheritance to his ¹children’s children,

And the ^bwealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

^23aAbundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor,

But ¹it is swept away by injustice.

²⁴He who ^awithholds his ¹rod hates his son,

But he who loves him ^2bdisciplines him diligently.

²⁵The ^arighteous ¹has enough to satisfy his appetite,

But the stomach of the ^bwicked is in need.