Proverbs 13

¹A wise child loves discipline,

but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

²From the fruit of their words good persons eat good things,

but the desire of the treacherous is for wrongdoing.

³Those who guard their mouths preserve their lives;

those who open wide their lips come to ruin.

⁴The appetite of the lazy craves, and gets nothing,

while the appetite of the diligent is richly supplied.

⁵The righteous hate falsehood,

but the wicked act shamefully and disgracefully.

⁶Righteousness guards one whose way is upright,

but sin overthrows the wicked.

⁷Some pretend to be rich, yet have nothing;

others pretend to be poor, yet have great wealth.

⁸Wealth is a ransom for a person’s life,

but the poor get no threats.

⁹The light of the righteous rejoices,

but the lamp of the wicked goes out.

¹⁰By insolence the heedless make strife,

but wisdom is with those who take advice.

¹¹Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle,

but those who gather little by little will increase it.

¹²Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

¹³Those who despise the word bring destruction on themselves,

but those who respect the commandment will be rewarded.

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

so that one may avoid the snares of death.

¹⁵Good sense wins favor,

but the way of the faithless is their ruin.

¹⁶The clever do all things intelligently,

but the fool displays folly.

¹⁷A bad messenger brings trouble,

but a faithful envoy, healing.

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

but one who heeds reproof is honored.

¹⁹A desire realized is sweet to the soul,

but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.

²⁰Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,

but the companion of fools suffers harm.

²¹Misfortune pursues sinners,

but prosperity rewards the righteous.

²²The good leave an inheritance to their children’s children,

but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.

²³The field of the poor may yield much food,

but it is swept away through injustice.

²⁴Those who spare the rod hate their children,

but those who love them are diligent to discipline them.

²⁵The righteous have enough to satisfy their appetite,

but the belly of the wicked is empty.