1 A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
2 From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.
3 Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
5 The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace.
6 Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, but sin overthrows the wicked.
7 One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
8 The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth, but a poor man hears no threat.
9 The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
10 By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.
11 Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
Comment: I will try to give my answers in a few words as to what I think each line is about. 1. How we listen is important, 2. Desires allowed free rein compared to speech filtered by wisdom 3. Watch what you say. 4. Thinking isn’t enough, effort is well repaid. 5. Dishonesty is horrible! 6. Be careful whose company you keep. 7. Don’t trust outer appearances. 8. You’re not likely to be kidnapped unless you’re wealthy! 9. The way you live brings certain results. 10. Rudeness and arrogance v wisdom! Wisdom wins hands down! 11. Easy come – easy go. 12. Unfulfilled hope is frustrating but when fulfilled that is real life!
I challenge you to do the same and please let me know if you think that I am wrong!
Prayer: Thank You for the way Your Word seeks to lead into wisdom and life with a a capital ‘L’.
As I read it! 