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Proverbs 13
1A wise son listens to his father’s instruction, but a scoffer doesn’t listen to rebuke.
2By the fruit of his lips, a man enjoys good things, but the unfaithful crave violence.
3He who guards his mouth guards his soul. One who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
4The soul of the sluggard , and has nothing, but the desire of the diligent shall be fully satisfied.
5A man hates lies, but a wicked man brings shame and disgrace.
6 guards the way of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.
7There are some who pretend to be rich, yet have nothing. There are some who pretend to be poor, yet have great wealth.
8The of a man’s life is his riches, but the poor hear no threats.
9The light of the shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.
10Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is with people who take advice.
11Wealth gained dishonestly dwindles away, but he who gathers by hand makes it grow.
12Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.
13Whoever despises instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command will be rewarded.
14The teaching of the wise is a spring of life, to turn from the snares of death.
15Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful is hard.
16Every prudent man acts from knowledge, but a fool exposes folly.
17A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy envoy gains healing.
18Poverty and shame come to him who refuses discipline, but he who heeds correction shall be honored.
19 fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil.
20One who walks with wise men grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
21Misfortune pursues sinners, but prosperity rewards the .
22A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored for the .
23An abundance of food is in poor people’s fields, but injustice sweeps it away.
24One who spares the rod hates his son, but one who loves him is careful to discipline him.
25The one eats to the satisfying of his soul, but the belly of the wicked goes hungry.
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Questions this passage answers
How do I stop committing the same sin over and over?
Scripture answers a repeated sin by changing what the believer reckons to be true, then by naming the ordinary means: consider yourself dead to sin, stop presenting your body to it, bring it out of secrecy by confession, walk by the Spirit, and remove what feeds the desire. It does not promise a single moment that ends the struggle, and it does not treat repeated falling as proof that grace has run out.
How do I trust God when life is difficult?
Biblical trust is not a feeling you generate. It is leaning your weight on what God has revealed about himself, especially when your circumstances suggest otherwise. Scripture builds trust the same way every time: by remembering what God has already done, telling him the truth about what you feel now, and obeying the next small thing while the outcome is still hidden.
How do I know God's will for my life?
Scripture speaks of God's will in two ways. His revealed will is what he has already told us plainly and is not in doubt: holiness, love, gratitude, obedience. His hidden will concerns the future and is not given to us in advance. The Bible directs almost all its attention to the first, and it teaches us to make wise decisions inside it rather than to decode secret guidance.
What does it mean to fear the Lord?
The fear of the LORD is not terror of an unpredictable God. It is the reverence of a creature who has rightly understood who God is, holy, sovereign and near, and who therefore takes him seriously in every decision. Proverbs calls it the beginning of knowledge, because a person who has not reckoned with God has not yet begun to understand anything rightly.