“The wise child loves discipline.
But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
From the fruit of their words,
Good persons eat good things.
But the desire of the treacherous is for violence.
Whoever guards their mouths preserves their lives.
Whoever opens wide their lips comes to ruin.
The appetite of the lazy craves,
But gets nothing.
The appetite of the diligent is richly supplied.”
The wise child loves discipline because it leads to knowledge. However, the lazy mocking scoffer does not listen to criticism. Good people eat good things because of the good fruit of their words. The treacherous only want violence. If you guard your mouth, you will preserve your life. However, if you open your mouth wide, it will only bring you ruin. The lazy people crave for food but they get nothing, while the appetite of the diligent gets richly supplied and satisfied.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 