Proverbs 13
1 A wise son — the instruction of a father, And a scorner — he hath not heard rebuke.
A wise son accepts his father's discipline, but a mocker doesn't listen to correction.
2 From the fruit of the mouth a man eateth good, And the soul of the treacherous — violence.
You'll be rewarded for saying good things, but dishonest people want violence.
3 Whoso is keeping his mouth, is keeping his soul, Whoso is opening wide his lips — ruin to him!
Watch what you say and save your life—saying too much leads to disaster.
4 The soul of the slothful is desiring, and hath not. And the soul of the diligent is made fat.
Lazy people want a lot, but get nothing; if you work hard you'll be well rewarded.
5 A false word the righteous hateth, And the wicked causeth abhorrence, and is confounded.
Good people hate lies, but the wicked cause a stink and bring disgrace.
6 Righteousness keepeth him who is perfect in the way, And wickedness overthroweth a sin offering.
Goodness protects those who live right, but sin overcomes the wicked.
7 There is who is making himself rich, and hath nothing, Who is making himself poor, and wealth [is] abundant.
Some pretend to be rich, but don't have anything, while others pretend to be poor and are very rich.
8 The ransom of a man's life [are] his riches, And the poor hath not heard rebuke.
The rich can pay a ransom to save their lives, but the poor aren't troubled in this way.
9 The light of the righteous rejoiceth, And the lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
The life of good people shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
10 A vain man through pride causeth debate, And with the counselled [is] wisdom.
Pride only causes conflict; but those who take advice are wise.
11 Wealth from vanity becometh little, And whoso is gathering by the hand becometh great.
Wealth gained by fraud quickly disappears, but those who gather bit by bit prosper.
12 Hope prolonged is making the heart sick, And a tree of life [is] the coming desire.
Hope that's delayed makes you feel sick, but a wish that comes true revives you.
13 Whoso is despising the Word is destroyed for it, And whoso is fearing the Command is repayed.
If you despise words of advice, you'll pay for it; but if you respect what you're told, you'll be rewarded.
14 The law of the wise [is] a fountain of life, To turn aside from snares of death.
The teaching of the wise is like a fountain of life, so you can avoid the snares of death.
15 Good understanding giveth grace, And the way of the treacherous [is] hard.
Good sense earns appreciation, but the way of the unfaithful is hard.
16 Every prudent one dealeth with knowledge, And a fool spreadeth out folly.
All wise people act intelligently, but stupid people demonstrate their stupidity.
17 A wicked messenger falleth into evil, And a faithful ambassador is healing.
A bad messenger creates trouble, but a faithful representative brings healing.
18 Whoso is refusing instruction — poverty and shame, And whoso is observing reproof is honoured.
Poverty and disgrace come to those who ignore instruction, but those who accept correction are honored.
19 A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul, And an abomination to fools [is]: Turn from evil.
It's nice to see a wish come true, but stupid people hate to turn away from evil to achieve this.
20 Whoso is walking with wise men is wise, And a companion of fools suffereth evil.
Being friends with wise people will make you wise, but being friends with stupid people will only cause you problems.
21 Evil pursueth sinners, And good recompenseth the righteous.
Tragedy chases after the sinner, but prosperity rewards the good.
22 A good man causeth sons' sons to inherit, And laid up for the righteous [is] the sinner's wealth.
Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the sinner's wealth is saved for those who live right.
23 Abundance of food — the tillage of the poor, And substance is consumed without judgment.
The unploughed ground of the poor could produce a lot of food, but it's stolen through injustice.
24 Whoso is sparing his rod is hating his son, And whoso is loving him hath hastened him chastisement.
People who don't discipline their children hate them. Those who love their children carefully discipline them.
25 The righteous is eating to the satiety of his soul, And the belly of the wicked lacketh!
The good eat until they're full; but the belly of the wicked is empty.
