Today we will deal with the chapter Proverbs 13 of the Bible. You will learn how good people act and what good actions those of us who follow the Word of God should take. Read on to discover the precious proverbs left to us by our Holy Bible and enjoy a nice time of reflection with us!
Proverbs chapter 13
When we are faced with a complicated situation, it is difficult for us to know which exit to take so as not to stray from God’s path. On many occasions we know more or less how a Christian should act, but we lack a brief and concise message to help us.
Proverbs 13 is the ideal chapter to have a reference in your daily life. In this chapter you will find many common situations of everyday life and you will see contrasted the actions of the righteous and those of sinners. Thanks to this text, you will be able to reflect deeply on the moral dilemmas you face in your daily life and learn about all kinds of solutions.
Proverbs 13 in current language
Here is today’s text, Proverbs 13 in Spanish and large print. This is the King James Version of the Bible, with a language adapted to our times.
Keep the verses that move you the most, that make you reflect, and share them with whomever you want! Sharing the Word of God and our reflections on it is always a very enriching experience that we recommend you to carry out. The more people, the more ideas.
Read calmly and notice all the details of this wonderful text.
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The wise son follows his father’s advice; the scoffer pays no heed to reproofs.
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The good man is nourished by his words; the heartless man is nourished by violence.
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He who takes care of his mouth takes care of himself; he who talks too much will have problems.
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The sluggard desires and gets nothing, but he who is diligent will prosper.
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The righteous man abhors a lie; the wicked becomes hateful and despicable.
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Righteousness protects the perfect way; ungodliness overturns the sinner.
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Some pretend to be rich, and have nothing; others pretend to be poor, and have everything.
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With his riches, the man rescues his life; the poor man never gets to hear threats.
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The light of the righteous brings joy; the lamp of the wicked languishes.
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Pride is the mother of strife, but wisdom is found in the witty.
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Vain riches are soon spent; he who works and saves them makes them grow.
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Living in expectation torments the heart; but it is a tree of life the desire that is fulfilled.
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Failure to heed an order is costly; compliance is rewarded.
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The teachings of the wise are a source of life; they can free you from the bonds of death.
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Good judgment breeds affection; the way of transgressors is inflexible.
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He who is astute proceeds wisely; he who is foolish lets his folly show.
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The bad messenger brings misfortune; the faithful messenger brings the remedy.
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He who disdains advice ends up poor and ashamed; he who accepts correction is honored.
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Desire fulfilled is a cause of joy, but fools hate to turn away from evil.
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He who associates with wise men becomes wise; he who associates with fools comes to a bad end.
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Evil pursues sinners, but the righteous are rewarded with good.
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It is good to leave an inheritance to one’s grandchildren; the riches of the sinner are inherited by the righteous man.
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In the camp of the poor there is plenty of food, but it is lost when justice is not dispensed.
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He who withholds punishment hates his son; he who loves him corrects him in time.
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The righteous eats until his appetite is satisfied; the wicked have an insatiable belly.
Explanation and Meaning of Proverbs 13
Going into the proverb, we will analyze in detail the meaning of different verses of Proverbs 13, giving examples of what it is intended to teach and providing a guide for the reflection of the chapter. We will copy the verses we will be commenting on in the explanation so that you do not have to scroll through the screen.
- Proverbs 13:1
This chapter begins with advice for children. In the first verse, we see how children are urged to obey their parents and follow their recommendations. The fragment reads as follows:
1 “A wise son follows his father’s advice;
the mocker does not heed reprimands”.
Many parents suffer when their children have to make decisions and see how they sometimes make mistakes. This verse describes that intelligent children will follow the advice of their parents, since they are the ones who have the experience and, of course, wish the best for their children.
Likewise, this verse can be used in the relationship between God and humanity. Our Lord left his teachings in the Holy Scriptures and guides us every day to follow the right path and we follow his word. The wise are those who find the way by following the Word of God.
- Proverbs 13:2
In the second verse we see how good people create a better world by dialogizing and bringing ideas closer together. Violence is proper to those who turn away from the Lord, and it will never be a good action to impose an idea by force. This is the verse in question:
2 “A good man is nourished by his words;
the heartless one feeds on violence”.
- Proverbs 13:3-6
The next three verses continue to contrast the actions of the righteous and the wicked like the previous ones in a very clear way that requires no explanation. The author reminds us that talking too much leads to problems, that we must keep laziness out of our lives, and that lying should never be the way forward.
Verse 6 is one of the most beautiful and powerful verses of the chapter. We leave it here:
6 “Justice protects the perfect way;
ungodliness upsets the sinner”.
The message conveyed by these words is that good deeds will bring good consequences of the one who performs them and that the opposite happens to those who perform bad deeds. Thus, doing good is like an unstoppable snowball that will lead to a happy life. This message is repeated with verse 21 that we have highlighted at the beginning of the article.
- Proverbs 13:7-10
The verses then turn to the theme of humility, beginning in verse 7 and culminating in verse 10. The main conclusion of this fragment is that we should do our actions from humility and always respecting and listening to others. A clear example of these verses is no. 10:
10 “Pride is the mother of strife,
but wisdom is found in the witty”.
- Proverbs 13:11-13
The next two verses remind us how patience must be a fundamental pillar of our lives. It is important not to despair in the face of adversity and to remember that God has a happy destiny in store for those who do well.
- Proverbs 13:14-25
The final verses convey clear messages that do not require further explanation, except for verse 23. We leave it here for you to read before reflecting on it:
23 “In the field of the poor there is plenty of food,
but it is lost when justice is not served”.
This beautiful verse metaphorically explains how we can find talents and benefits where we least expect to find something. How many brilliant minds, capable of working to make a better world, are wasted because they don’t have enough opportunities? It is important not to underestimate the opinions of others due to social prejudices, because sometimes, people who think differently can help us to get out of the most complicated situations.
Reflection from Proverbs 13
Now that you have read this beautiful chapter, we hope that you have some reference verses to turn to when you have doubts about how you should act in one situation or another. Even so, adapt what you have learned to the situations you encounter and above all act from the heart and in good faith.
Contextualization of Proverbs 13
As we have already commented in other articles of Tu Biblia Online, chapters such as Proverbs 13, are part of the Book of Proverbs of the Old Testament of the Catholic Bible. The texts in this book attempt to transmit a series of teachings to the reader through brief and clear sentences, leaving no room for misinterpretation.
The Book of Proverbs was written more than two thousand years ago, like the rest of the books of the Old Testament. Thus, some of the phrases are written with the customs of the time in mind, although in most cases, the profound teaching of each verse transcends time and continues to be valid today. After all, we humans are still human and our most basic behaviors have not changed.
In addition, many of the verses use metaphors that require deeper reflection to understand the meaning of the situation before us. This is why it is important to read these texts calmly and share the reflections with others.
Specifically in Proverbs 13, we find a series of short phrases that contrast the actions that would make good Christians with those that would make sinners; a recurring theme in this type of text. The line between right and wrong is often blurred, and it is necessary to clearly delimit good and bad actions.
Here we end this article on Proverbs 13 of the Bible, greatly hoping that you have learned and reflected with all that we have shared. Don’t forget to share this article and its verses with your loved ones!
See you in the next article.