Proverbs 13
1 A wise son—the instruction of a father, And a scorner—he has not heard rebuke.
Children who are wise (pay attention/heed it) when their parents discipline/correct them; but foolish children do not pay attention when someone rebukes them [for their bad behavior].
2 A man eats good from the fruit of the mouth, And the soul of the treacherous—violence.
Good people are rewarded [IDM] for the good things [MET] that they say, but those who desire to deceive others are [very] eager to act violently.
3 Whoever is keeping his mouth, is keeping his soul, Whoever is opening wide his lips—ruin to him!
Those who are [very] careful about what they say [MTY] will live a long life; those who talk (without thinking/too much) will ruin themselves.
4 The soul of the slothful is desiring, and does not have. And the soul of the diligent is made fat.
People who are lazy want things very much, but they will not get anything [HYP]. People who work hard will get all that they want.
5 The righteous hates a false word, And the wicked causes abhorrence, and is confounded.
Righteous/Honest people hate/detest lies, but what wicked people do (is very disgraceful/stinks) [DOU].
6 Righteousness keeps him who is perfect in the way, And wickedness overthrows a sin offering.
The behavior [PRS] of those who always do what is right will protect them, but sinful [behavior will] ruin wicked people.
7 There is [he] who is making himself rich, and has nothing, Who is making himself poor, and wealth [is] abundant.
Some people who have nothing pretend to be rich, but other people who are very rich pretend to be poor.
8 The ransom of a man’s life [are] his riches, And the poor has not heard rebuke.
Rich people are able to pay people who want to kill them, [with the result that they will be protected, not killed], but poor people [do not have to worry about that because] no one threatens to kill them.
9 The light of the righteous rejoices, And the lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
Righteous [people] are like a lamp [MET] that shines brightly, but wicked [people] are like [MET] a lamp that will [soon] be extinguished.
10 A vain man causes debate through pride, And wisdom [is] with the counseled.
[People] who are arrogant/proud [always] cause strife; those who are wise ask [other people] for good advice.
11 Wealth from vanity becomes little, And whoever is gathering by the hand becomes great.
Those who acquire a lot of money quickly [by doing what is wrong, probably] will lose it [quickly], but if people earn money slowly, the amount of money they have will increase.
12 Hope prolonged is making the heart sick, And a tree of life [is] the coming desire.
When people do not receive the things that they are expecting to receive, (it causes them to despair/they become very sad); but if you receive what you are desiring to get, that [will be like a tree] [MET] [whose fruit gives you] life (OR, that will cause you to be joyful).
13 Whoever is despising the word is destroyed for it, And whoever is fearing the command is repaid.
Those who despise [the good] advice [that others give them] are bringing ruin on themselves; those who pay attention to that advice will (be secure/succeed).
14 The law of the wise [is] a fountain of life, To turn aside from snares of death.
What wise [people] teach is [like] a fountain whose [water] gives life [MET]; what they teach you will help you to escape when something dangerous is threatening to kill you [MET].
15 Good understanding gives grace, And the way of the treacherous [is] hard.
[People] respect those who have good sense, but those who cannot be trusted are on the road to being ruined/destroyed (OR, will have a lot of difficulties/troubles).
16 Every prudent one deals with knowledge, And a fool spreads out folly.
Those who have good sense always think carefully/wisely before they do something; foolish people show [by what they say and do] that they are foolish.
17 A wicked messenger falls into evil, And a faithful ambassador is healing.
Messengers who are not reliable cause trouble, but those who faithfully [deliver their messages] cause people to act peacefully.
18 Whoever is refusing instruction—poverty and shame, And whoever is observing reproof is honored.
Those who refuse to pay attention when others discipline/correct them will become poor and disgraced; [people] respect those who accept it when they are rebuked [for their bad behavior].
19 A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul, And an abomination to fools [Is] to turn from evil.
It is delightful to receive what we desire; foolish people hate/refuse to turn away from doing evil.
20 Whoever is walking with wise men is wise, And a companion of fools suffers evil.
Those who habitually associate with wise people become wise; those who (are close friends of/associate with) foolish people will (regret it/be ruined).
21 Evil pursues sinners, And good repays the righteous.
Sinners have trouble [PRS] wherever they go, but things will go well for righteous [people].
22 A good man causes sons’ sons to inherit, And the sinner’s wealth [is] laid up for the righteous.
When good people [die], their grandchildren inherit their money; but when sinners [die], the money that they had will end up in the hands of righteous [people].
23 Abundance of food—the tillage of the poor, And substance is consumed without judgment.
[Sometimes] poor [people’s] fields produce plenty of food, but unjust people take away all that food.
24 Whoever is sparing his rod is hating his son, And whoever is loving him has hurried his discipline.
Those who do not punish their children [for bad behavior] do not [really] love them; those who love their children start to discipline them when the children are still young.
25 The righteous is eating to the satiety of his soul, And the belly of the wicked lacks!
Righteous [people] have enough food to eat and be satisfied, but the stomachs of wicked [people] [SYN] are [always] empty.
