Proverbs 13
1 A wise son — the instruction of a father, And a scorner — he hath 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 From the fruit of the mouth a man eateth good, 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 Whoso is keeping his mouth, is keeping his soul, Whoso 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 hath not. 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 A false word the righteous hateth, And the wicked causeth abhorrence, and is confounded.
Righteous/Honest people hate/detest lies, but what wicked people do (is very disgraceful/stinks) [DOU].
6 Righteousness keepeth him who is perfect in the way, And wickedness overthroweth 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 who is making himself rich, and hath 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 hath 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 rejoiceth, 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 through pride causeth debate, And with the counselled [is] wisdom.
[People] who are arrogant/proud [always] cause strife; those who are wise ask [other people] for good advice.
11 Wealth from vanity becometh little, And whoso is gathering by the hand becometh 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 Whoso is despising the Word is destroyed for it, And whoso is fearing the Command is repayed.
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 giveth 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 dealeth with knowledge, And a fool spreadeth 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 falleth 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 Whoso is refusing instruction — poverty and shame, And whoso is observing reproof is honoured.
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]: Turn from evil.
It is delightful to receive what we desire; foolish people hate/refuse to turn away from doing evil.
20 Whoso is walking with wise men is wise, And a companion of fools suffereth 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 pursueth sinners, And good recompenseth the righteous.
Sinners have trouble [PRS] wherever they go, but things will go well for righteous [people].
22 A good man causeth sons' sons to inherit, And laid up for the righteous [is] the sinner's wealth.
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 Whoso is sparing his rod is hating his son, And whoso is loving him hath hastened him chastisement.
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 lacketh!
Righteous [people] have enough food to eat and be satisfied, but the stomachs of wicked [people] [SYN] are [always] empty.
