Proverbs 13

⁵A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction is prudent.

⁷He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself; he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself.

⁸Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

²⁰A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.

¹Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.

²For I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my directive.

¹The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother.

²⁵If a man sins against another man, God can intercede for him; but if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to their father, since the Lord intended to put them to death.

¹⁴By fruitful speech a man is filled with good things, and the work of his hands returns to him.

²⁰From the fruit of his mouth a man’s belly is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied.

¹¹The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

¹¹May no slanderer be established in the land; may calamity hunt down the man of violence.

³¹So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

¹¹If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause,

¹²let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole like those descending into the Pit.

²³He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from distress.

²¹Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

⁷A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

²We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.

³When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can guide the whole animal.

³⁶But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.

³⁷For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

¹For the choirmaster. For Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. I said, “I will watch my ways so that I will not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle as long as the wicked are present.”

²⁴The hand of the diligent will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.

¹¹The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks judgment.

⁵For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge;

⁶and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;

⁴Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.

²if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding,

³if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding,

²⁵A generous soul will prosper, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

⁹Do not lie to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices,

¹⁶³I hate and abhor falsehood, but Your law I love.

²⁵Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one another.

³¹Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and abominations.

⁴³There you will remember your ways and all the deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evils you have done.

⁸But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

³The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the faithless destroys them.

⁵The righteousness of the blameless directs their path, but the wicked fall by their own wickedness.

⁶The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the faithless are trapped by their own desires.

²¹May integrity and uprightness preserve me, because I wait for You.

¹¹May no slanderer be established in the land; may calamity hunt down the man of violence.

¹²The Righteous One considers the house of the wicked and brings the wicked to ruin.

²He who walks with integrity and practices righteousness, who speaks the truth from his heart,

¹⁷You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.

¹¹The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.

¹²I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.’

²⁴One gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor.

⁹Better to be lightly esteemed yet have a servant, than to be self-important but lack food.

¹⁰sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

⁵Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?

²⁶What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

¹⁸For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers,

¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.

¹⁴He carried into exile all Jerusalem—all the commanders and mighty men of valor, all the craftsmen and metalsmiths—ten thousand captives in all. Only the poorest people of the land remained.

⁶They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches.

⁷No man can possibly redeem his brother or pay his ransom to God.

¹²But the captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields.

¹²But I will leave within you a meek and humble people, and they will trust in the name of the Lord.

²⁰For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.

¹⁸The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.

²⁰Whoever curses his father or mother, his lamp will be extinguished in deepest darkness.

¹¹Light shines on the righteous, gladness on the upright in heart.

⁴Light dawns in the darkness for the upright—for the gracious, compassionate, and righteous.

⁸The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

²⁰Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.

¹⁵The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to counsel.

¹⁶A fool’s anger is known at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

¹⁴To start a quarrel is to release a flood; so abandon the dispute before it breaks out.

⁴he is conceited and understands nothing. Instead, he has an unhealthy interest in controversies and disputes about words, out of which come envy, strife, abusive talk, evil suspicions,

¹What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you?

⁹I have written to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not accept our instruction.

¹⁰So if I come, I will call attention to his malicious slander against us. And unsatisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers and forbids those who want to do so, even putting them out of the church.

²¹An inheritance gained quickly will not be blessed in the end.

²Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.

¹Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.

²Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes.

⁸He who increases his wealth by interest and usury lays it up for one who is kind to the poor.

²³Be sure to know the state of your flocks, and pay close attention to your herds;

²⁴for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to every generation.

²⁰A faithful man will abound with blessings, but one eager to be rich will not go unpunished.

²²So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

¹⁹Desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but turning from evil is detestable to fools.

⁸¹My soul faints for Your salvation; I wait for Your word.

⁸²My eyes fail, looking for Your promise; I ask, “When will You comfort me?”

¹⁵As for me, I will behold Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied in Your presence.

³⁰The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

¹⁸She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who lay hold of her are blessed.

³¹He shall certainly be cut off, because he has despised the word of the Lord and broken His commandment; his guilt remains on him.”

¹⁶But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord against His people was stirred up beyond remedy.

¹⁶⁵Abundant peace belongs to those who love Your law; nothing can make them stumble.

⁸Watch yourselves, so that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be fully rewarded.

¹⁶because they kept rejecting My ordinances, refusing to walk in My statutes, and profaning My Sabbaths; for their hearts continually went after their idols.

¹¹By them indeed Your servant is warned; in keeping them is great reward.

²⁷The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.

¹¹The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

⁵The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

⁶The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

⁷In my distress I called upon the Lord; I cried out to my God. And from His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for help reached His ears.

³The ropes of death entangled me; the anguish of Sheol overcame me; I was confronted by trouble and sorrow.

¹⁷The highway of the upright leads away from evil; he who guards his way protects his life.

¹⁹Your own evil will discipline you; your own apostasies will reprimand you. Consider and realize how evil and bitter it is for you to forsake the Lord your God and to have no fear of Me,” declares the Lord God of Hosts.

¹⁹But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble.

¹⁰Discipline is harsh for him who leaves the path; he who hates correction will die.

²¹What fruit did you reap at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The outcome of those things is death.

⁹where your fathers tested and tried Me, though they had seen My work.

¹⁰For forty years I was angry with that generation, and I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known My ways.”

¹⁰and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household.

²The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool spouts folly.

²²Lying lips are detestable to the Lord, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.

²³A shrewd man keeps his knowledge to himself, but a foolish heart proclaims its folly.

¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

¹³Behold, My Servant will prosper; He will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.

³Even as the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking, and he shows everyone that he is a fool.

¹⁹Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil.

¹³Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters.

²⁰Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.

²Now it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.

¹²I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, that He considered me faithful and appointed me to service.

⁷As for you, O son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word from My mouth and give them the warning from Me.

⁸If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ but you do not speak out to dissuade him from his way, then that wicked man will die in his iniquity, yet I will hold you accountable for his blood.

¹⁸If I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him or speak out to warn him from his wicked way to save his life, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, and I will hold you responsible for his blood.

⁵A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction is prudent.

³¹He who listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.

³²He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.

¹Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.

¹³He who despises instruction will pay the penalty, but the one who respects a command will be rewarded.

¹²Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.

⁹Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will increase his learning.

¹²Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

¹⁴“Sir,” I answered, “you know.” So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

¹⁵For this reason, they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple; and the One seated on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.

²⁷An unjust man is detestable to the righteous, and one whose way is upright is detestable to the wicked.

¹⁹Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.”

¹⁷The highway of the upright leads away from evil; he who guards his way protects his life.

¹⁴Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

³³Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

³⁴Sober up as you ought, and stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame.

³¹He who listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.

⁶Leave your folly behind, and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.”

¹⁴Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?

¹⁵What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

⁶³I am a friend to all who fear You, and to those who keep Your precepts.

⁴Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or contract any of her plagues.

¹⁰Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but loving devotion surrounds him who trusts in the Lord.

¹⁰Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their labor.

¹¹Woe to the wicked; disaster is upon them! For they will be repaid with what their hands have done.

¹³He who despises instruction will pay the penalty, but the one who respects a command will be rewarded.

⁷To those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life.

⁸But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow wickedness, there will be wrath and anger.

⁷If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it.”

¹¹May no slanderer be established in the land; may calamity hunt down the man of violence.

²⁶To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

¹⁶Though he heaps up silver like dust and piles up a wardrobe like clay,

¹⁷what he lays up, the righteous will wear, and his silver will be divided by the innocent.

⁸He who increases his wealth by interest and usury lays it up for one who is kind to the poor.

²⁵I once was young and now am old, yet never have I seen the righteous abandoned or their children begging for bread.

²His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

⁷I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

⁸And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”

¹¹The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks judgment.

¹⁹The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

⁹The produce of the earth is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.

⁵It is well with the man who is generous and lends freely, whose affairs are guided by justice.

⁵Whoever keeps his command will come to no harm, and a wise heart knows the right time and procedure.

⁶For there is a right time and procedure to every purpose, though a man’s misery weighs heavily upon him.

¹⁸Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored.

¹⁷Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will bring delight to your soul.

¹³Do not withhold discipline from a child; although you strike him with a rod, he will not die.

¹⁴Strike him with a rod, and you will deliver his soul from Sheol.

¹⁵A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

¹⁸Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be party to his death.

⁶For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.”

⁷Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?

¹⁵Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.

¹⁰Young lions go lacking and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

³The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but He denies the craving of the wicked.

⁵Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”

⁸For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come.

²⁴They will be wasted from hunger and ravaged by pestilence and bitter plague; I will send the fangs of wild beasts against them, with the venom of vipers that slither in the dust.

¹¹and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.