Proverbs 13:3-5
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
3 Those who guard their mouths preserve themselves;[a]
those who open wide their lips bring ruin.(A)
4 The appetite of the sluggard craves but has nothing,
but the appetite of the diligent is amply satisfied.
5 The just hate deceitful words,
but the wicked are odious and disgraceful.
Footnotes
- 13:3 Preserve themselves: in Hebrew, literally to preserve the throat area, the moist breathing center of one’s body, thus “life,” “soul,” or “self.” There is wordplay: if you guard your mouth (= words) you guard your “soul.” Fools, on the other hand, do not guard but open their lips and disaster strikes. A near duplicate is 21:23.
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