Judaism
Proverbs 13
Text
A wise son is instructed of his father; But a scorner heareth not rebuke.
A man shall eat good from the fruit of his mouth; But the desire of the faithless is violence.
He that guardeth his mouth keepeth his life; But for him that openeth wide his lips there shall be ruin.
The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be abundantly gratified.
A righteous man hateth lying; But a wicked man behaveth vilely and shamefully.
Righteousness guardeth him that is upright in the way; But wickedness overthroweth the sinner.
There is that pretendeth himself rich, yet hath nothing; There is that pretendeth himself poor, yet hath great wealth.
The ransom of a man’s life are his riches; But the poor heareth no threatening.
The light of the righteous rejoiceth; But the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
By pride cometh only contention; But with the well-advised is wisdom.
Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished; But he that gathereth little by little shall increase. .
Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
Whoso despiseth the word shall suffer thereby; But he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.
The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, To depart from the snares of death.
Good understanding giveth grace; But the way of the faithless is harsh.
Every prudent man dealeth with forethought; But a fool unfoldeth folly.
A wicked messenger falleth into evil; But a faithful ambassador is health.
Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction; But he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.
The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul; And it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.
He that walketh with wise men shall be wise; But the companion of fools shall smart for it.
Evil pursueth sinners; But to the righteous good shall be repaid.
A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children; And the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the righteous.
Much food is in the tillage of the poor; But there is that is swept away by want of righteousness.
He that spareth his rod hateth his son; But he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his desire; But the belly of the wicked shall want.
Text: The Holy Scriptures, Jewish Publication Society (1917), public domain, via Sefaria.
✦ Connected Across Traditions
The Golden Rule
Matthew 7:12
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.”
Hadith (An-Nawawi 13)
“None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.”
Mahabharata 5.1517
“One should never do to another what one regards as injurious to oneself.”
Dhammapada 129 (trans. Bhikkhu Sujato)
“All tremble at the rod, all fear death. Treating others like oneself, neither kill nor incite to kill.”
Impermanence & Letting Go
Dhammapada 20:277 (trans. F. Max Müller)
“‘All created things perish,’ he who knows and sees this becomes passive in pain; this is the way to purity.”
Tao Te Ching 76 (trans. James Legge)
“Man at his birth is supple and weak; at his death, firm and strong. (So it is with) all things. Trees and plants, in their early growth, are soft and brittle; at their death, dry and withered.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2 (trans. Edwin Arnold)
“Nay, but as when one layeth His worn-out robes away, And taking new ones, sayeth, "These will I wear to-day!" So putteth by the spirit Lightly its garb of flesh, And passeth to inherit A residence afresh.”
The Path to Wisdom
Dhammapada 20:282 (trans. Bhikkhu Sujato)
“From meditation springs wisdom, without meditation, wisdom ends.”
Analects 2:11 (trans. James Legge)
“If a man keeps cherishing his old knowledge, so as continually to be acquiring new, he may be a teacher of others.”
Tao Te Ching 33 (trans. James Legge)
“He who knows other men is discerning; he who knows himself is intelligent.”
Quran 39:9
“Are those who know equal with those who know not?”
Good vs Evil / Light vs Darkness
Yasna 30:3
“Now the two primal Spirits, who reveal themselves as Twins, are the Better and the Bad, in thought and word and action.”
John 1:5
“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
Dhammapada 2 (trans. Bhikkhu Sujato)
“Intention is the leader of things; intention is first, they’re made by intention. If with pure intent you speak or act, happiness follows you like a shadow that never leaves.”
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16 (trans. Edwin Arnold)
“The Doors of Hell Are threefold, whereby men to ruin pass, The door of Lust, the door of Wrath, the door Of Avarice. Let a man shun those three!”