Read & explore together
A Father’s Discipline
Proverbs 13 gathers short sayings that compare wisdom and folly in everyday life. It highlights listening, speech, work, honesty, advice, companions and careful discipline, showing that choices have different outcomes.
Understanding the passage
Listening in context
This passage is wisdom writing, not a story. The sayings move in order from a son hearing instruction to contrasts about words, wealth, hope, advice, correction, friendship, justice, inheritance and a parent’s loving discipline. Each proverb sets one path beside another for comparison.
Proverbs 13:1–25Main takeaway
Proverbs 13 teaches that teachable, truthful and wise living tends toward life and stability, while rejecting correction and walking in folly leads toward harm.
Look closely at the words
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01Instruction, words and workThe chapter begins with a wise son listening and a scoffer refusing rebuke. Speech matters too: words can bring good, protect life or lead to ruin.
Explanation
The chapter begins with a wise son listening and a scoffer refusing rebuke. Speech matters too: words can bring good, protect life or lead to ruin. Diligence is also commended, because the sluggard only desires, while the diligent are satisfied.
02Truth, integrity and appearancesThe next sayings praise truthfulness and righteousness. Lies bring shame, righteousness guards a person’s way, and wickedness overthrows the sinner.
Explanation
The next sayings praise truthfulness and righteousness. Lies bring shame, righteousness guards a person’s way, and wickedness overthrows the sinner. Appearances can mislead, since some only pretend to be rich or poor. Riches may act as a ransom, while the poor may escape threats. The righteous shine, but the wicked do not last.
03Advice, honest gain and wise teachingPride breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found with people who take advice. Dishonest wealth dwindles, while steady gathering grows.
Explanation
Pride breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found with people who take advice. Dishonest wealth dwindles, while steady gathering grows. Delayed hope hurts, but fulfilled longing is life-giving. So despising instruction is costly, while respecting command and receiving wise teaching lead away from deadly snares and into favour.
04Prudence, correction and companionsPrudence acts from knowledge, but fools expose folly. A trustworthy messenger brings healing.
Explanation
Prudence acts from knowledge, but fools expose folly. A trustworthy messenger brings healing. Refusing discipline leads to poverty and shame, while heeding correction brings honour. Fulfilled desire is sweet, yet fools hate turning from evil. Companions shape direction too: walking with the wise grows wisdom, but fools bring harm.
05Outcomes, inheritance and careful disciplineThe closing sayings contrast outcomes again: misfortune pursues sinners, while prosperity rewards the righteous.
Explanation
The closing sayings contrast outcomes again: misfortune pursues sinners, while prosperity rewards the righteous. A good man leaves inheritance to later generations, yet injustice can sweep away food from poor people’s fields. Verse 24 presents discipline as loving and intentional, not neglectful, and the chapter ends with righteous satisfaction contrasted with wicked hunger.
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01What repeated links does this chapter make between receiving correction and good outcomes?
Trace the sayings about rebuke, instruction, command, correction and discipline, and note the outcomes attached to listening or refusing.
02How does Proverbs 13 show that words can either protect or damage a person?
Compare the sayings about the fruit of lips, guarding the mouth, lying, and pride leading to quarrels.
03Which verses show that wisdom appears in ordinary choices about work, friends and possessions?
Notice the contrasts about diligence, honest gain, wise companions, inheritance, injustice in the fields, and final satisfaction or hunger.
Read the Bible passage
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
Proverbs 13:1–25
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 desires, and has nothing, but the desire of the diligent shall be fully satisfied.
5A righteous man hates lies, but a wicked man brings shame and disgrace.
6Righteousness 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 ransom of a man’s life is his riches, but the poor hear no threats.
9The light of the righteous 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 longing 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.
19Longing 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 righteous.
22A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored for the righteous.
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 righteous one eats to the satisfying of his soul, but the belly of the wicked goes hungry.