Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked

13 A (A)wise son accepts his father’s discipline,
But a (B)scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
From the fruit of a person’s mouth he [a](C)enjoys good,
But the [b]desire of the treacherous is (D)violence.
One who (E)guards his mouth protects his life;
One who (F)opens wide his lips [c]comes to ruin.
The soul of the [d]lazy one craves and gets nothing,
But the soul of the diligent is made [e]prosperous.
A righteous person (G)hates a false statement,
But a wicked person [f](H)acts disgustingly and shamefully.
Righteousness (I)guards the [g]one whose way is blameless,
But wickedness brings the [h]sinner to ruin.
There is one who (J)pretends to be rich but has nothing;
Another pretends to be (K)poor, but has great wealth.
The ransom of a person’s life is his wealth,
But the poor hears no rebuke.
The (L)light of the righteous [i]rejoices,
But the (M)lamp of the wicked goes out.
10 Through overconfidence [j]comes nothing but strife,
But wisdom is with those who receive counsel.
11 Wealth obtained from [k]nothing dwindles,
But one who gathers [l]by labor increases it.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But desire [m]fulfilled is a tree of life.
13 One who (N)despises the word will do badly,
But one who fears the commandment will be (O)rewarded.
14 The [n]teaching of the wise is a (P)fountain of life,
To turn aside from the (Q)snares of death.
15 (R)Good understanding produces favor,
But the way of the treacherous is [o]their own disaster.
16 Every (S)prudent person acts with knowledge,
But a fool [p]displays foolishness.
17 A wicked messenger falls into adversity,
But (T)a faithful messenger brings healing.
18 Poverty and shame will come to one who (U)neglects [q]discipline,
But one who complies with rebuke will be honored.
19 Desire realized is sweet to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil.
20 (V)One who walks with wise people will be wise,
But a companion of fools will suffer harm.
21 (W)Adversity pursues sinners,
But the (X)righteous will be rewarded with prosperity.
22 A good person (Y)leaves an inheritance to his [r]grandchildren,
And the (Z)wealth of a sinner is stored up for the righteous.
23 (AA)Abundant food is in the uncultivated ground of the poor,
But [s]it is swept away by injustice.
24 He who (AB)withholds his [t]rod hates his son,
But he who loves him [u](AC)disciplines him diligently.
25 The (AD)righteous [v]has enough to satisfy his appetite,
But the stomach of the (AE)wicked is in need.

Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked

14 The (AF)wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.
One who (AG)walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
But one who is (AH)devious in his ways despises Him.
In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back,
But (AI)the lips of the wise will protect them.
Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean;
But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.
A (AJ)trustworthy witness will not lie,
But a (AK)false witness (AL)declares lies.
A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none,
But knowledge is easy for one who has understanding.
Leave the (AM)presence of a fool,
Or you will not [w]discern [x]words of knowledge.
The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,
But (AN)the foolishness of fools is deceit.
Fools mock at [y]sin,
But (AO)among the upright there is [z]goodwill.
10 The heart knows its own (AP)bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.
11 The (AQ)house of the wicked will be destroyed,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There (AR)is a way which seems right to a person,
But its (AS)end is the way of death.
13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
And the (AT)end of joy may be grief.
14 One with a wayward heart will have his (AU)fill of his own ways,
But a good person will (AV)be satisfied [aa]with his.
15 The naive believes everything,
But the sensible person considers his steps.
16 A wise person [ab]is cautious and (AW)turns away from evil,
But a fool is arrogant and careless.
17 A quick-tempered person acts foolishly,
And a person of evil devices is hated.
18 The naive inherit foolishness,
But the sensible are crowned with knowledge.
19 The (AX)evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 The (AY)poor is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.
21 One who (AZ)despises his neighbor sins,
But (BA)one who is gracious to the [ac]poor is blessed.
22 Will they who (BB)devise evil not go astray?
But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.
23 In all labor there is profit,
But [ad]mere talk leads only to poverty.
24 The (BC)crown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is simply foolishness.
25 A truthful witness saves lives,
But one who (BD)declares lies is [ae]deceitful.
26 In [af](BE)the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And [ag]his children will have refuge.
27 [ah]The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
By which one may avoid the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king’s glory,
But in the scarcity of people is a prince’s ruin.
29 One who is (BF)slow to anger has great understanding;
But one who is [ai]quick-tempered exalts foolishness.
30 A (BG)tranquil heart is life to the body,
But jealousy is (BH)rottenness to the bones.
31 One (BI)who oppresses the poor taunts (BJ)his Maker,
But one who is gracious to the needy honors Him.
32 The wicked is (BK)thrust down by his own wrongdoing,
But the (BL)righteous has a refuge when he dies.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding,
But among fools it is made known.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.
35 The king’s favor is toward a (BM)servant who acts wisely,
But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.

Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked

15 A (BN)gentle answer turns away wrath,
But a [aj](BO)harsh word stirs up anger.
The (BP)tongue of the wise makes knowledge pleasant,
But the (BQ)mouth of fools spouts foolishness.
The (BR)eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Watching the evil and the good.
A [ak]soothing tongue is a tree of life,
But perversion in it [al]crushes the spirit.
A fool [am]rejects his father’s discipline,
But he who complies with rebuke is sensible.
Great wealth is in the house of the (BS)righteous,
But trouble is in the income of the wicked.
The lips of the wise spread knowledge,
But the hearts of fools are not so.
The (BT)sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But (BU)the prayer of the upright is His delight.
The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But He loves the one who (BV)pursues righteousness.
10 There is severe punishment for one who abandons the way;
One who hates a rebuke will die.
11 [an](BW)Sheol and [ao]Abaddon lie open before the Lord,
How much more the (BX)hearts of [ap]mankind!
12 A (BY)scoffer does not love one who rebukes him;
He will not go to the wise.
13 A (BZ)joyful heart makes a [aq]cheerful face,
But [ar]when the heart is (CA)sad, the (CB)spirit is broken.
14 The (CC)mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
15 All the days of the [as]needy are bad,
But a [at]cheerful heart has a continual feast.
16 (CD)Better is a little with [au]the fear of the Lord
Than great treasure, and turmoil with [av]the treasure.
17 (CE)Better is a portion of [aw]vegetables where there is love,
Than a (CF)fattened ox served with hatred.
18 A (CG)hot-tempered person stirs up strife,
But the (CH)slow to anger (CI)calms a dispute.
19 The way of the [ax]lazy one is like a hedge of thorns,
But the path of the upright is a highway.
20 A (CJ)wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man (CK)despises his mother.
21 Foolishness is joy to one who lacks [ay]sense,
But a person of understanding (CL)walks straight.
22 Without consultation, plans are frustrated,
But with many counselors they [az]succeed.
23 A (CM)person has joy in an [ba]apt answer,
And how delightful is a timely (CN)word!
24 The (CO)path of life leads upward for the wise,
So that he may keep away from [bb]Sheol below.
25 The Lord will (CP)tear down the house of the proud,
But He will (CQ)set the boundary of the (CR)widow.
26 Evil plans are an abomination to the Lord,
But pleasant words are pure.
27 He who (CS)profits illicitly troubles his own house,
But he who (CT)hates bribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous (CU)ponders how to answer,
But the (CV)mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
29 The Lord is (CW)far from the wicked,
But He (CX)hears the prayer of the righteous.
30 [bc]Bright eyes gladden the heart;
Good news [bd]refreshes the bones.
31 One whose ear listens to a life-giving rebuke
Will stay among the wise.
32 One who (CY)neglects discipline (CZ)rejects himself,
But one who (DA)listens to a rebuke acquires [be]understanding.
33 [bf]The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom,
And before honor comes humility.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:2 Lit eats
  2. Proverbs 13:2 Lit soul
  3. Proverbs 13:3 Lit ruin is his
  4. Proverbs 13:4 Lit idle
  5. Proverbs 13:4 Lit fat
  6. Proverbs 13:5 Lit causes a bad odor and causes shame
  7. Proverbs 13:6 Lit blamelessness of way
  8. Proverbs 13:6 Lit sin
  9. Proverbs 13:9 I.e., shines brightly
  10. Proverbs 13:10 Lit gives
  11. Proverbs 13:11 Prob. referring to fraud
  12. Proverbs 13:11 Lit by hand
  13. Proverbs 13:12 Lit coming
  14. Proverbs 13:14 Or law
  15. Proverbs 13:15 Cf. LXX in destruction; MT constant
  16. Proverbs 13:16 Lit spreads out
  17. Proverbs 13:18 Or instruction
  18. Proverbs 13:22 Lit sons’ sons
  19. Proverbs 13:23 Lit there is what is swept
  20. Proverbs 13:24 I.e., correction or discipline
  21. Proverbs 13:24 Lit seeks him diligently with discipline
  22. Proverbs 13:25 Lit eats to the satisfaction of his soul
  23. Proverbs 14:7 Lit know
  24. Proverbs 14:7 Lit lips
  25. Proverbs 14:9 Lit guilt
  26. Proverbs 14:9 Or the favor of God
  27. Proverbs 14:14 Lit from himself
  28. Proverbs 14:16 Lit fears
  29. Proverbs 14:21 Or afflicted
  30. Proverbs 14:23 Lit word of lips
  31. Proverbs 14:25 Lit a fraud
  32. Proverbs 14:26 Or reverence for
  33. Proverbs 14:26 Or His
  34. Proverbs 14:27 Or Reverence for
  35. Proverbs 14:29 Lit short of spirit
  36. Proverbs 15:1 Lit painful
  37. Proverbs 15:4 Lit healing
  38. Proverbs 15:4 Lit is the crushing of the spirit
  39. Proverbs 15:5 Or despises
  40. Proverbs 15:11 I.e., The netherworld
  41. Proverbs 15:11 I.e., place of destruction
  42. Proverbs 15:11 Lit sons of mankind
  43. Proverbs 15:13 Lit good
  44. Proverbs 15:13 Lit in sadness of heart
  45. Proverbs 15:15 Or wretched
  46. Proverbs 15:15 Lit good
  47. Proverbs 15:16 Or reverence for
  48. Proverbs 15:16 Lit it
  49. Proverbs 15:17 Or herbs
  50. Proverbs 15:19 Lit idle
  51. Proverbs 15:21 Lit heart
  52. Proverbs 15:22 Or are established
  53. Proverbs 15:23 Lit answer of his mouth
  54. Proverbs 15:24 I.e., the netherworld
  55. Proverbs 15:30 Lit The light of the eyes gladdens
  56. Proverbs 15:30 Lit makes fat
  57. Proverbs 15:32 Lit heart
  58. Proverbs 15:33 Or Reverence for

Bible Gateway Recommends