A 31 Day Journey Through the Book of Proverbs: Day 13

 

Proverbs 13

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

1 A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

2 From the fruit of a man’s mouth he enjoys good, but the desire of the treacherous is violence.

3 The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is made fat.

5 A righteous man hates falsehood, but a wicked man acts disgustingly and shamefully.

6 Righteousness guards the one whose way is blameless, but wickedness subverts the sinner.

7 There is one who pretends to be rich, but has nothing; Another pretends to be poor, but has great wealth.

8 The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth, but the poor hears no rebuke.

9 The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked goes out.

10 Through insolence comes nothing but strife, but wisdom is with those who receive counsel.

11 Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, but the one who gathers by labor increases it.

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

13 The one who despises the word will be in debt to it, but the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded.

14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, to turn aside from the snares of death.

15 Good understanding produces favor, but the way of the treacherous is hard.

16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool displays folly.

17 A wicked messenger falls into adversity, but a faithful envoy brings healing.

18 Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline, but he who regards reproof will be honored.

19 Desire realized is sweet to the soul, but it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil.

20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

21 Adversity pursues sinners, but the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity.

22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, and the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

23 Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor, but it is swept away by injustice.

24 He who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.

25 The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the stomach of the wicked is in need.
 

Reflection

In Proverbs 13, again we see a contrast between those who are wise and those who are deemed foolish. In verse 20 we see that “whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Notice that when you walk with the wise, you become wise, but what does it say about those who are friends with fools? They don’t become foolish—they suffer harm. That’s a big difference! And while it may sound harsh, we are given this warning to help us make wise choices.

Reflect

I’m sure you’ve seen many patterns throughout the book of Proverbs so far. What are some of the themes/ words that came up again in this chapter? (When things are repeated in the Bible, it means they are important enough to say again! We need to pay attention to these verses.)


Engage

What do you think it means to walk with the wise?

Why do you think someone who walks with the foolish would suffer harm?

Does anything surprise you in this passage? If so, what?

An Extra Mile

What are more of the differences between the wise and the foolish? Do you see any characteristics of either the wise or the foolish in yourself?
 

Today’s reflection provided by YOUVERSION Reading Plan: 30 Day Challenge: A Walk Through Proverbs

 

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