Albert Barnes Commentary Proverbs 9:12

"If thou art wise, thou art wise for thyself; And if thou scoffest, thou alone shalt bear it." — Proverbs 9:12 (ASV)

The great law of personal retribution .

The Septuagint makes a curious addition to this verse, “My son, if you will be wise for yourself, you shall be wise also for your neighbors; but if you turn out evil, you alone shall bear evil. He who rests on lies shall guide the winds, and the same shall hunt after winged birds, for he has left the ways of his own vineyard, and has gone astray with the wheels of his own husbandry. He goes through a wilderness without water, and over a land set in thirsty places, and with his hands he gathers barrenness.”