Proverbs 12:10–14

PROVERBS CHAPTER 12.

V. 10. A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast, taking proper care of his domestic animals; but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel, they are utterly devoid of sympathy and compassion.

V. 11. He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread, his industry ordinarily being rewarded in this manner; but he that followeth vain persons, vanity, idleness, laziness, is void of understanding, lacks the very principles of ordinary common sense.

V. 12. The wicked desireth the net of evil men, rather, the spoil, that which is taken in the net; that is, one wicked person tries to deprive the other of his ill-gotten gains, their selfishness causing them to consume one another; but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit; since all their acts flow from faith, they are filled with a power which impels them forward in righteous conduct.

V. 13. The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips, his own speeches prove a dangerous snare to him, so that he is overthrown; but the just shall come out of trouble, escaping from the net which was placed for his feet.

V. 14. A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, his own wise, benevolent, and charitable discourse results in blessings to him; and the recompense of a man’s hands, what he deserves for his works, shall be rendered unto him, the justice of God being shown in rewards as well as in acts of punishment.