Proverbs 26
1 Like snow in summer and rain at harvest, honor does not befit a fool.
Like snow in summer and rain when the grain is being cut, so honour is not natural for the foolish.
2 Like a fluttering sparrow or darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.
As the sparrow in her wandering and the swallow in her flight, so the curse does not come without a cause.
3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!
A whip for the horse, a mouth-bit for the ass, and a rod for the back of the foolish.
4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be like him.
Do not give to the foolish man a foolish answer, or you will be like him.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he become wise in his own eyes.
Give a foolish man a foolish answer, or he will seem wise to himself.
6 Like cutting off one’s own feet or drinking violence is the sending of a message by the hand of a fool.
He who sends news by the hand of a foolish man is cutting off his feet and drinking in damage.
7 Like lame legs hanging limp is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
The legs of one who has no power of walking are hanging loose; so is a wise saying in the mouth of the foolish.
8 Like binding a stone into a sling is the giving of honor to a fool.
Giving honour to a foolish man is like attempting to keep a stone fixed in a cord.
9 Like a thorn that falls into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
Like a thorn which goes up into the hand of a man overcome by drink, so is a wise saying in the mouth of a foolish man.
10 Like an archer who wounds at random is he who hires a fool or passerby.
Like an archer wounding all who go by, is a foolish man overcome by drink.
11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.
Like a dog going back to the food which he has not been able to keep down, is the foolish man doing his foolish acts over again.
12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Have you seen a man who seems to himself to be wise? There is more hope for the foolish than for him.
13 The slacker says, “A lion is in the road! A fierce lion roams the public square!”
The hater of work says, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.
14 As a door turns on its hinges, so the slacker turns on his bed.
A door is turned on its pillar, and the hater of work on his bed.
15 The slacker buries his hand in the dish; it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.
The hater of work puts his hand deep into the basin: lifting it again to his mouth is a weariness to him.
16 The slacker is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.
The hater of work seems to himself wiser than seven men who are able to give an answer with good sense.
17 Like one who grabs a dog by the ears is a passerby who meddles in a quarrel not his own.
He who gets mixed up in a fight which is not his business, is like one who takes a dog by the ears while it is going by.
18 Like a madman shooting firebrands and deadly arrows,
As one who is off his head sends about flaming sticks and arrows of death,
19 so is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”
So is the man who gets the better of his neighbour by deceit, and says, Am I not doing so in sport?
20 Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, a conflict ceases.
Without wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no secret talk, argument is ended.
21 Like charcoal for embers and wood for fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
Like breath on coals and wood on fire, so a man given to argument gets a fight started.
22 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels that go down into the inmost being.
The words of one who says evil of his neighbour secretly are like sweet food, they go down into the inner parts of the stomach.
23 Like glaze covering an earthen vessel are burning lips and a wicked heart.
Smooth lips and an evil heart are like a vessel of earth plated with silver waste.
24 A hateful man disguises himself with his speech, but he lays up deceit in his heart.
With his lips the hater makes things seem what they are not, but deceit is stored up inside him;
25 When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart.
When he says fair words, have no belief in him; for in his heart are seven evils:
26 Though his hatred is concealed by deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
Though his hate is covered with deceit, his sin will be seen openly before the meeting of the people.
27 He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.
He who makes a hole in the earth will himself go falling into it: and on him by whom a stone is rolled the stone will come back again.
28 A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.
A false tongue has hate for those who have clean hearts, and a smooth mouth is a cause of falling.
