Proverbs 13:11–18

11 Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,

but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

13 Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself,

but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.

14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,

that one may turn away from the snares of death.

15 Good sense wins favor,

but the way of the treacherous is their ruin.

16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge,

but a fool flaunts his folly.

17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,

but a faithful envoy brings healing.

18 Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction,

but whoever heeds reproof is honored.

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.

11 Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears;

wealth from hard work grows over time.

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.

13 People who despise advice are asking for trouble;

those who respect a command will succeed.

14 The instruction of the wise is like a life-giving fountain;

those who accept it avoid the snares of death.

15 A person with good sense is respected;

a treacherous person is headed for destruction.

16 Wise people think before they act;

fools don’t—and even brag about their foolishness.

17 An unreliable messenger stumbles into trouble,

but a reliable messenger brings healing.

18 If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace;

if you accept correction, you will be honored.

11 Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,

But he who gathers by labor will increase.

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

13 He who despises the word will be destroyed,

But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.

14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life,

To turn one away from the snares of death.

15 Good understanding gains favor,

But the way of the unfaithful is hard.

16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge,

But a fool lays open his folly.

17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,

But a faithful ambassador brings health.

18 Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction,

But he who regards a rebuke will be honored.

11 Money that comes easily disappears quickly,

but money that is gathered little by little will grow.

12 It is sad not to get what you hoped for.

But wishes that come true are like eating fruit from the tree of life.

13 Those who reject what they are taught will pay for it,

but those who obey what they are told will be rewarded.

14 The teaching of a wise person gives life.

It is like a fountain that can save people from death.

15 People with good understanding will be well liked,

but the lives of those who are not trustworthy are hard.

16 Every wise person acts with good sense,

but fools show how foolish they are.

17 A wicked messenger brings nothing but trouble,

but a trustworthy one makes everything right.

18 A person who refuses correction will end up poor and disgraced,

but the one who accepts correction will be honored.

11 Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished;

But he that gathereth by labor shall have increase.

12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick;

But when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

13 Whoso despiseth the word bringeth destruction on himself;

But he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.

14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life,

That one may depart from the snares of death.

15 Good understanding giveth favor;

But the way of the transgressor is hard.

16 Every prudent man worketh with knowledge;

But a fool flaunteth his folly.

17 A wicked messenger falleth into evil;

But a faithful ambassador is health.

18 Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth correction;

But he that regardeth reproof shall be honored.

11 Wealth gotten by vanity diminisheth; but he that gathereth by manual-labour shall increase it.

12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; but the desire that cometh to pass is a tree of life.

13 Whoso despiseth the word shall be held by it; but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.

14 The teaching of the wise man is a fountain of life, to turn away from the snares of death.

15 Good understanding procureth favour; but the way of the treacherous is hard.

16 Every prudent man acteth with knowledge; but the foolish layeth open his folly.

17 A wicked messenger falleth into evil; 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.

11 Wealth ⸤gained⸥ through injustice dwindles away, 

but whoever gathers little by little has plenty. 

12 Delayed hope makes one sick at heart, 

but a fulfilled longing is a tree of life. 

13 Whoever despises ⸤God’s⸥ words will pay the penalty, 

but the one who fears ⸤God’s⸥ commands will be rewarded. 

14 The teachings of a wise person are a fountain of life 

to turn ⸤one⸥ away from the grasp of death. 

15 Good sense brings favor, 

but the way of treacherous people is always the same.

16 Any sensible person acts with knowledge, 

but a fool displays stupidity. 

17 An undependable messenger gets into trouble, 

but a dependable envoy brings healing. 

18 Poverty and shame come to a person who ignores discipline, 

but whoever pays attention to constructive criticism will be honored. 

11 Wealth obtained by fraud will dwindle,

but whoever earns it through labor will multiply it.

12 Delayed hope makes the heart sick,

but fulfilled desire is a tree of life.

13 The one who has contempt for instruction will pay the penalty,

but the one who respects a command will be rewarded.

14 A wise man’s instruction is a fountain of life,

turning people away from the snares of death.

15 Good sense wins favor,

but the way of the treacherous never changes.

16 Every sensible person acts knowledgeably,

but a fool displays his stupidity.

17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,

but a trustworthy courier brings healing.

18 Poverty and disgrace come to those

who ignore discipline,

but the one who accepts correction will be honored.

11 Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle,

but those who gather little by little will increase it.

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

13 Those who despise a word bring destruction on themselves,

but those who respect a command will be rewarded.

14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,

so that one may avoid the snares of death.

15 Good sense wins favor,

but the way of the faithless is their ruin.

16 The clever do all things intelligently,

but the fool displays folly.

17 A bad messenger brings trouble,

but a faithful envoy, healing.

18 Poverty and disgrace are for the one who ignores instruction,

but one who heeds reproof is honored.

11 Wealth gained from haste will dwindle,

but he who gathers little by little will increase it.

12 Hope that is deferred makes the heart sick,

but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

13 He who despises a word will bring destruction on himself,

but he who respects a commandment will be rewarded.

14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,

in order to avoid the snares of death.

15 Good sense grants favor,

but the way of the faithless is coarse.

16 Anyone who is clever will act with intelligence,

but the fool will display folly.

17 A messenger of wickedness will fall into trouble,

but an envoy of the faithful brings healing.

18 Poverty and disgrace belong to him who ignores instruction,

but he who guards reproof will be honored.

11 Money that is gained in the wrong way disappears.

But money that is gathered little by little grows.

12 Hope that is put off makes one sick at heart.

But a longing that is met is like a tree of life.

13 Anyone who hates what he is taught will pay for it later.

But a person who respects a command will be rewarded.

14 The teaching of wise people is like a fountain that gives life.

It turns those who listen to it away from the jaws of death.

15 Good understanding wins favor.

But the way of liars doesn’t last.

16 Wise people act in keeping with the knowledge they have.

But foolish people show how foolish they are.

17 An evil messenger gets into trouble.

But a messenger who is trusted brings healing.

18 Those who turn away from their training become poor and ashamed.

But those who accept warnings are honored.

11 Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles,

But the one who gathers by labor increases it.

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

13 The one who despises the word will be in debt to it,

But the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded.

14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,

To turn aside from the snares of death.

15 Good understanding produces favor,

But the way of the treacherous is hard.

16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge,

But a fool displays folly.

17 A wicked messenger falls into adversity,

But a faithful envoy brings healing.

18 Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline,

But he who regards reproof will be honored.