Proverbs 13

¹A wise son hears his father’s instruction,

but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

²From the fruit of his mouth a good man eats good,

but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.

³He who guards his mouth preserves his life;

he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

⁴The soul of the sluggard craves, and gets nothing,

while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

⁵A righteous man hates falsehood,

but a wicked man acts shamefully and disgracefully.

⁶Righteousness guards him whose way is upright,

but sin overthrows the wicked.

⁷One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;

another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

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

but a poor man has no means of redemption.

⁹The light of the righteous rejoices,

but the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

¹⁰By insolence the heedless make strife,

but with those who take advice is wisdom.

¹¹Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle,

but he who gathers little by little will increase it.

¹²Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

¹³He who despises the word brings destruction on himself,

but he who respects the commandment will be rewarded.

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

that one may avoid the snares of death.

¹⁵Good sense wins favor,

but the way of the faithless is their ruin.

¹⁶In everything a prudent man acts with knowledge,

but a fool flaunts his folly.

¹⁷A bad messenger plunges men into trouble,

but a faithful envoy brings healing.

¹⁸Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction,

but he who heeds reproof is honored.

¹⁹A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul;

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

²⁰He who walks with wise men becomes wise,

but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

²¹Misfortune pursues sinners,

but prosperity rewards the righteous.

²²A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,

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

²³The fallow ground of the poor yields much food,

but it is swept away through injustice.

²⁴He who spares the rod hates his son,

but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

²⁵The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,

but the belly of the wicked suffers want.