Proverbs 13:1–15:33
13 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
aBut a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
2 bA man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth,
But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.
3 cHe who guards his mouth preserves his life,
But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.
4 dThe soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
5 A righteous man hates lying,
But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.
6 eRighteousness guards him whose way is blameless,
But wickedness overthrows the sinner.
7 fThere is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing;
And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.
8 The ransom of a man’s life is his riches,
But the poor does not hear rebuke.
9 The light of the righteous rejoices,
gBut the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
10 By pride comes nothing but hstrife,
But with the well-advised is wisdom.
11 iWealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But jwhen the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
13 He who kdespises the word will be destroyed,
But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.
14 lThe law of the wise is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from mthe snares of death.
15 Good understanding 1gains nfavor,
But the way of the unfaithful is hard.
16 oEvery prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool lays open his folly.
17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
But pa faithful ambassador brings health.
18 Poverty and shame will come to him who 2disdains correction,
But qhe 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 rEvil pursues sinners,
But to the righteous, good shall be repaid.
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
But sthe wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
23 tMuch food is in the 3fallow ground of the poor,
And for lack of justice there is 4waste.
24 uHe who spares his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him 5promptly.
25 vThe righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul,
But the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.
14 The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.
2 He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
aBut he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.
3 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,
bBut the lips of the wise will preserve them.
4 Where no oxen are, the 1trough is clean;
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.
5 A cfaithful witness does not lie,
But a false witness will utter dlies.
6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it,
But eknowledge is easy to him who understands.
7 Go from the presence of a foolish man,
When you do not perceive in him the lips of fknowledge.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But the folly of fools is deceit.
But among the upright there is favor.
10 The heart knows its own bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.
11 hThe house of the wicked will be overthrown,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 iThere is a way that seems right to a man,
But jits end is the way of kdeath.
13 Even in laughter the heart may sorrow,
And lthe end of mirth may be grief.
14 The backslider in heart will be mfilled with his own ways,
But a good man will be satisfied 3from nabove.
15 The simple believes every word,
But the prudent considers well his steps.
16 oA wise man fears and departs from evil,
But a fool rages and is self-confident.
17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
And a man of wicked intentions is hated.
But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19 The evil will bow before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 pThe poor man is hated even by his own neighbor,
But 4the rich has many qfriends.
21 He who despises his neighbor sins;
rBut he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.
22 Do they not go astray who devise evil?
But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.
23 In all labor there is profit,
But 5idle chatter leads only to poverty.
24 The crown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is folly.
25 A true witness 6delivers ssouls,
But a deceitful witness speaks lies.
26 In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
27 tThe fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king’s honor,
But in the lack of people is the downfall of a prince.
29 uHe who is slow to wrath has great understanding,
But he who is 7impulsive exalts folly.
30 A sound heart is life to the body,
But venvy is wrottenness to the bones.
31 xHe who oppresses the poor reproaches yhis Maker,
But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
32 The wicked is banished in his wickedness,
But zthe righteous has a refuge in his death.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding,
But awhat is in the heart of fools is made known.
34 Righteousness exalts a bnation,
But sin is a 8reproach to any people.
35 cThe king’s favor is toward a wise servant,
But his wrath is against him who causes shame.
15 A asoft answer turns away wrath,
But ba harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,
cBut the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
3 dThe eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4 A 1wholesome tongue is a tree of life,
But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
5 eA fool despises his father’s instruction,
fBut he who 2receives correction is prudent.
6 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.
7 The lips of the wise 3disperse knowledge,
But the heart of the fool does not do so.
8 gThe sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But He loves him who hfollows righteousness.
10 iHarsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way,
And jhe who hates correction will die.
11 kHell 4and 5Destruction are before the Lord;
So how much more lthe hearts of the sons of men.
12 mA scoffer does not love one who corrects him,
Nor will he go to the wise.
13 nA merry heart makes a cheerful 6countenance,
But oby sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
15 All the days of the afflicted are evil,
pBut he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.
16 qBetter is a little with the fear of the Lord,
Than great treasure with trouble.
17 rBetter is a dinner of 7herbs where love is,
Than a fatted calf with hatred.
18 sA wrathful man stirs up strife,
But he who is slow to anger allays contention.
19 tThe way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns,
But the way of the upright is a highway.
20 uA wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man despises his mother.
21 vFolly is joy to him who is destitute of 8discernment,
wBut a man of understanding walks uprightly.
22 xWithout counsel, plans go awry,
But in the multitude of counselors they are established.
23 A man has joy by the answer of his mouth,
And ya word spoken 9in due season, how good it is!
24 zThe way of life winds upward for the wise,
That he may aturn away from 1hell below.
25 bThe Lord will destroy the house of the proud,
But cHe will establish the boundary of the widow.
26 dThe thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
eBut the words of the pure are pleasant.
27 fHe who is greedy for gain troubles his own house,
But he who hates bribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous gstudies how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.
29 hThe Lord is far from the wicked,
But iHe hears the prayer of the righteous.
30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
And a good report makes the bones 2healthy.
31 The ear that hears the rebukes of life
Will abide among the wise.
32 He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,
But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.
33 jThe fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,
And kbefore honor is humility.