13:3

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

3a
He who guards his mouth protects his life,

3b but the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.

13:3a

He who guards his mouth: In this context, the word mouth is a figure of speech. It represents the words spoken by the mouth. A person who guards his mouth is careful about what he says. He thinks before he speaks, and he avoids speaking too much. Some other ways to translate this figure of speech are:

• Use a different figure of speech with the same meaning. For example:

Those who control their tongue (New Living Translation (2004))

• Express the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:

Those who think before they speak

English versions use different pronouns to translate this line:

• Some use “he/his.” For example:

He who guards his mouth preserves his life (New King James Version)

• Some use “those/their.” For example:

Those who guard their lips preserve their lives (New International Version (2011))

• Some use a command with “you.” For example:

Be careful what you say (Good News Translation)

You should use whatever pronouns are natural in your language for a proverb like this.

protects his life: This phrase means “preserves or guards his life from trouble or death.” One implication may be:

will have a long life (New Living Translation (2004))

However, that does not seem to be the main meaning.

13:3b

but the one who opens his lips: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as opens his lips is literally “opens wide his lips.” This idiom may refer to a person who is talkative or who speaks carelessly/rashly. When you translate this idiom, you may express either or both of these two meanings.

invites his own ruin: This phrase means that the person’s careless words will result in his destruction or ruin. This may refer to his reputation being destroyed or to suffering financial loss. It may even refer to losing his life. If possible, you should use an expression that can refer to any of these.

Some ways to translate this line are:

A careless talker destroys himself. (Good News Translation)
-or-
but whoever speaks without thinking will be ruined (New Century Version)
-or-
one who talks too much faces ruin (Revised English Bible)

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