Proverbs 13:1-17 - Compare All Versions
Proverbs 13:1-17 NIV (New International Version)
A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker does not respond to rebukes. From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things, but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence. Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin. A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. The righteous hate what is false, but the wicked make themselves a stench and bring shame on themselves. Righteousness guards the person of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner. One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. A person’s riches may ransom their life, but the poor cannot respond to threatening rebukes. The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out. Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it, but whoever respects a command is rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death. Good judgment wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction. All who are prudent act with knowledge, but fools expose their folly. A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy envoy brings healing.
Proverbs 13:1-17 ESV (English Standard Version 2025)
A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence. Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace. Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, but sin overthrows the wicked. One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth, but a poor man hears no threat. The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be put out. By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom. Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous is their ruin. Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly. A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a faithful envoy brings healing.
Proverbs 13:1-17 NLT (New Living Translation)
A wise child accepts a parent’s discipline; a mocker refuses to listen to correction. Wise words will win you a good meal, but treacherous people have an appetite for violence. Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything. Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper. The godly hate lies; the wicked cause shame and disgrace. Godliness guards the path of the blameless, but the evil are misled by sin. Some who are poor pretend to be rich; others who are rich pretend to be poor. The rich can pay a ransom for their lives, but the poor won’t even get threatened. The life of the godly is full of light and joy, but the light of the wicked will be snuffed out. Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise. Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. People who despise advice are asking for trouble; those who respect a command will succeed. The instruction of the wise is like a life-giving fountain; those who accept it avoid the snares of death. A person with good sense is respected; a treacherous person is headed for destruction. Wise people think before they act; fools don’t—and even brag about their foolishness. An unreliable messenger stumbles into trouble, but a reliable messenger brings healing.
Proverbs 13:1-17 CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
A wise son responds to his father’s discipline, but a mocker doesn’t listen to rebuke. From the fruit of his mouth, a person will enjoy good things, but treacherous people have an appetite for violence. The one who guards his mouth protects his life; the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin. The slacker craves, yet has nothing, but the diligent is fully satisfied. The righteous hate lying, but the wicked bring disgust and shame. Righteousness guards people of integrity, but wickedness undermines the sinner. One person pretends to be rich but has nothing; another pretends to be poor but has abundant wealth. Riches are a ransom for a person’s life, but a poor person hears no threat. The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is put out. Arrogance leads to nothing but strife, but wisdom is gained by those who take advice. Wealth obtained by fraud will dwindle, but whoever earns it through labor will multiply it. Hope delayed makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life. The one who has contempt for instruction will pay the penalty, but the one who respects a command will be rewarded. A wise person’s instruction is a fountain of life, turning people away from the snares of death. Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous never changes. Every sensible person acts knowledgeably, but a fool displays his stupidity. A wicked envoy falls into trouble, but a trustworthy courier brings healing.
Proverbs 13:1-17 KJV (King James Version)
A wise son heareth his father's instruction: But a scorner heareth not rebuke. A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: But the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence. He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: But he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction. The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. A righteous man hateth lying: But a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame. Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: But wickedness overthroweth the sinner. There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: There is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches. The ransom of a man's life are his riches: But the poor heareth not rebuke. The light of the righteous rejoiceth: But the lamp of the wicked shall be put out. Only by pride cometh contention: But with the well advised is wisdom. Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: But he that gathereth by labour shall increase. Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: But when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: But he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded. The law of the wise is a fountain of life, To depart from the snares of death. Good understanding giveth favour: But the way of transgressors is hard. Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: But a fool layeth open his folly. A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: But a faithful ambassador is health.
Proverbs 13:1-17 NKJV (New King James Version)
A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth, But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence. He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction. The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich. A righteous man hates lying, But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame. Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, But wickedness overthrows the sinner. There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches. The ransom of a man’s life is his riches, But the poor does not hear rebuke. The light of the righteous rejoices, But the lamp of the wicked will be put out. By pride comes nothing but strife, But with the well-advised is wisdom. Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by labor will increase. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. He who despises the word will be destroyed, But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded. The law of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death. Good understanding gains favor, But the way of the unfaithful is hard. Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool lays open his folly. A wicked messenger falls into trouble, But a faithful ambassador brings health.
Proverbs 13:1-17 MSG (The Message)
Intelligent children listen to their parents; foolish children do their own thing. The good acquire a taste for helpful conversation; bullies push and shove their way through life. Careful words make for a careful life; careless talk may ruin everything. Indolence wants it all and gets nothing; the energetic have something to show for their lives. A good person hates false talk; a bad person wallows in gibberish. A God-loyal life keeps you on track; sin dumps the wicked in the ditch. A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life. The rich can be sued for everything they have, but the poor are free of such threats. The lives of good people are brightly lit streets; the lives of the wicked are dark alleys. Arrogant know-it-alls stir up discord, but wise men and women listen to each other’s counsel. Easy come, easy go, but steady diligence pays off. Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around. Ignore the Word and suffer; honor God’s commands and grow rich. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, so, no more drinking from death-tainted wells! Sound thinking makes for gracious living, but liars walk a rough road. A commonsense person lives good sense; fools litter the country with silliness. Irresponsible talk makes a real mess of things, but a reliable reporter is a healing presence.
Proverbs 13:1-17 NASB2020 (New American Standard Bible - NASB)
A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. From the fruit of a person’s mouth he enjoys good, But the desire of the treacherous is violence. One who guards his mouth protects his life; One who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. The soul of the lazy one craves and gets nothing, But the soul of the diligent is made prosperous. A righteous person hates a false statement, But a wicked person acts disgustingly and shamefully. Righteousness guards the one whose way is blameless, But wickedness brings the sinner to ruin. There is one who pretends to be rich but has nothing; Another pretends to be poor, but has great wealth. The ransom of a person’s life is his wealth, But the poor hears no rebuke. The light of the righteous rejoices, But the lamp of the wicked goes out. Through overconfidence comes nothing but strife, But wisdom is with those who receive counsel. Wealth obtained from nothing dwindles, But one who gathers by labor increases it. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life. One who despises the word will do badly, But one who fears the commandment will be rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn aside from the snares of death. Good understanding produces favor, But the way of the treacherous is their own disaster. Every prudent person acts with knowledge, But a fool displays foolishness. A wicked messenger falls into adversity, But a faithful messenger brings healing.
Proverbs 13:1-17 AMP (Amplified Bible)
A wise son heeds and accepts [and is the result of] his father’s discipline and instruction, But a scoffer does not listen to reprimand and does not learn from his errors. From the fruit of his mouth a [wise] man enjoys good, But the desire of the treacherous is for violence. The one who guards his mouth [thinking before he speaks] protects his life; The one who opens his lips wide [and chatters without thinking] comes to ruin. The soul (appetite) of the lazy person craves and gets nothing [for lethargy overcomes ambition], But the soul (appetite) of the diligent [who works willingly] is rich and abundantly supplied. [Prov 10:4] A righteous man hates lies, But a wicked man is loathsome, and he acts shamefully. Righteousness (being in right standing with God) guards the one whose way is blameless, But wickedness undermines and overthrows the sinner. There is one who pretends to be rich, yet has nothing at all; Another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. [Prov 12:9; Luke 12:20, 21] The ransom for a man’s life is his wealth, But the poor man does not even have to listen to a rebuke or threats [from the envious]. The light of the righteous [within him—grows brighter and] rejoices, But the lamp of the wicked [is a temporary light and] goes out. Through pride and presumption come nothing but strife, But [skillful and godly] wisdom is with those who welcome [well-advised] counsel. Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, But he who gathers gradually by [honest] labor will increase [his riches]. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life. Whoever despises the word and counsel [of God] brings destruction upon himself, But he who [reverently] fears and respects the commandment [of God] will be rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain and source of life, So that one may avoid the snares of death. Good understanding wins favor [from others], But the way of the unfaithful is hard [like barren, dry soil]. Every prudent and self-disciplined man acts with knowledge, But a [closed-minded] fool [who refuses to learn] displays his foolishness [for all to see]. A wicked messenger falls into hardship, But a faithful ambassador brings healing.
Proverbs 13:1-17 NET (New English Translation)
A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. From the fruit of his speech a person eats good things, but the faithless desire the fruit of violence. The one who guards his words guards his life, but whoever is talkative will come to ruin. The appetite of the sluggard craves but gets nothing, but the desire of the diligent will be abundantly satisfied. The righteous person hates anything false, but the wicked person acts in shameful disgrace. Righteousness guards the one who lives with integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner. There is one who pretends to be rich and yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor and yet possesses great wealth. The ransom of a person’s life is his wealth, but the poor person hears no threat. The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked goes out. With pride comes only contention, but wisdom is with the well-advised. Wealth gained quickly will dwindle away, but the one who gathers it little by little will become rich. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is like a tree of life. The one who despises instruction will pay the penalty, but whoever esteems instruction will be rewarded. Instruction from the wise is like a life-giving fountain, to turn a person from deadly snares. Keen insight wins favor, but the conduct of the unfaithful is harsh. Every shrewd person acts with knowledge, but a fool displays his folly. An unreliable messenger falls into trouble, but a faithful envoy brings healing.