Proverbs 13
The full text of Proverbs 13 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 A wise son hears his father's instruction,
but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
2 From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good,
but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.
3 Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;
he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
5 The righteous hates falsehood,
but the wicked brings shame and disgrace.
6 Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,
but sin overthrows the wicked.
7 One pretends to be rich but has nothing;
another pretends to be poor yet has great wealth.
8 The ransom of a man's life is his wealth,
but a poor man hears no threat.
9 The light of the righteous shines brightly,
but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.
10 By presumption comes nothing but strife,
but with those who take counsel is wisdom.
11 Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,
but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
13 Whoever despises the word incurs debt,
but whoever reveres the commandment will be rewarded.
14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
turning a man away from the snares of death.
15 Good understanding wins favor,
but the way of the treacherous is their ruin.
16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
but a fool flaunts his folly.
17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
but a faithful envoy brings healing.
18 Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction,
but whoever heeds reproof is honored.
19 A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,
but turning from evil is an abomination to fools.
20 Walk with the wise and you will become wise,
but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
21 Disaster pursues sinners,
but prosperity rewards the righteous.
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children,
but the sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous.
23 The field of the poor may yield much food,
but it is swept away through injustice.
24 Whoever spares the rod hates his son,
but whoever loves him is diligent to discipline him.
25 The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul,
but the belly of the wicked suffers want.
Translation notes (6)
- Proverbs 13:8a Kofer (כֹּפֶר), 'ransom', denotes the price paid to redeem a life from captors or extortioners, a real hazard for the wealthy in the ancient Near East. The proverb observes that riches can buy a man out of such danger, while the poor man never receives the ge'arah, 'threat', in the first place, since he owns nothing worth seizing.
- Proverbs 13:11a The Masoretic Text reads hon mehevel (הוֹן מֵהֶבֶל), literally 'wealth from a breath', using hevel, 'vapor, vanity', the keyword of Ecclesiastes. The rendering 'hastily' follows the Septuagint and Vulgate, which presuppose a form of bahal, 'to hasten'; on either reading, the contrast is with gathering 'al-yad, literally 'by the hand', that is, little by little.
- Proverbs 13:13a The parallel with mitsvah, 'commandment', suggests that davar, 'word', here denotes divine instruction rather than speech in general. The verb yechavel derives from chaval, 'to give a pledge', picturing the despiser as a debtor whose pledge is forfeit; hence 'incurs debt'.
- Proverbs 13:15a The Masoretic Text reads eitan, 'enduring' or 'hard', a difficult sense here; the Septuagint has en apoleia, 'in destruction'. This translation follows the reading reflected in the Septuagint, often explained as Hebrew edam, 'their ruin'. The Masoretic reading would mean the way of the treacherous is unyielding as a rocky streambed.
- Proverbs 13:23a The first clause turns on nir (ניר), 'newly broken ground', picturing land of the poor that could yield abundantly. The second clause is elliptical: veyesh nispeh belo mishpat, literally 'and there is what is swept away without justice', leaving the subject unstated in Hebrew; it may be the harvest itself or the poor who lose it. The rendering above supplies the harvest as subject.
- Proverbs 13:24a Hebrew shevet, 'rod', denotes the shepherd's staff and, in ancient Near Eastern usage, the standing symbol of corrective authority, not merely an implement of punishment. The phrase "is diligent to discipline him" renders shicharo musar, an idiom built on shachar, 'dawn', suggesting one who seeks his son early and earnestly with instruction.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is Trinity Bible's own modern English translation, worked directly from the original Hebrew and honest to the earliest manuscripts. It was completed in 2026 — the most modern English Bible translation — and is exclusive to Trinity Bible. Every chapter, including all of Proverbs, is free to read here on the web.
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