Proverbs 26
1 Honoring someone stupid is as inappropriate as snow in the summer or rain during harvest.
Quomodo nix in æstate, et pluviæ in messe, sic indecens est stulto gloria.
2 A curse that isn't deserved won't land on the person, like a fluttering sparrow or a flitting swallow.
Sicut avis ad alia transvolans, et passer quolibet vadens, sic maledictum frustra prolatum in quempiam superveniet.
3 Horses need a whip, donkeys need a bridle, and stupid people need a rod on their backs!
Flagellum equo, et camus asino, et virga in dorso imprudentium.
4 Don't answer stupid people following their stupidity, or you'll become as bad as them.
Ne respondeas stulto juxta stultitiam suam, ne efficiaris ei similis.
5 Answer stupid people following their stupidity, otherwise they'll think they're wise.
Responde stulto juxta stultitiam suam, ne sibi sapiens esse videatur.
6 Trusting someone stupid to deliver a message is like cutting of your feet or drinking poison.
Claudus pedibus, et iniquitatem bibens, qui mittit verba per nuntium stultum.
7 A proverb spoken by someone stupid is as useless as a lame person's legs.
Quomodo pulchras frustra habet claudus tibias, sic indecens est in ore stultorum parabola.
8 Honoring someone stupid is as pointless as tying a stone into a sling.
Sicut qui mittit lapidem in acervum Mercurii, ita qui tribuit insipienti honorem.
9 A proverb spoken by someone stupid is as ridiculous as a thorn bush waved around by a drunk.
Quomodo si spina nascatur in manu temulenti, sic parabola in ore stultorum.
10 Anyone who hires someone stupid or just a passer-by is like an archer wounding people by shooting arrows at random.
Judicium determinat causas, et qui imponit stulto silentium iras mitigat.
11 Stupid people repeat their stupidity like a dog returning to its vomit.
Sicut canis qui revertitur ad vomitum suum, sic imprudens qui iterat stultitiam suam.
12 Have you seen a man who is wise in his own eyes? There's more hope for stupid people than for him!
Vidisti hominem sapientem sibi videri? magis illo spem habebit insipiens.
13 Lazy people are the ones who say, “There's a lion on the road—a lion running around the streets!”
Dicit piger: Leo est in via, et leæna in itineribus.
14 A lazy person turns in bed like a door turns on its hinge.
Sicut ostium vertitur in cardine suo, ita piger in lectulo suo.
15 Lazy people put their hands in a dish, but are too tired to lift the food to their mouths.
Abscondit piger manum sub ascella sua, et laborat si ad os suum eam converterit.
16 In their own eyes lazy people are wiser than many sensible advisors.
Sapientior sibi piger videtur septem viris loquentibus sententias.
17 Interfering in someone else's quarrel is like grabbing a stray dog by the ears.
Sicut qui apprehendit auribus canem, sic qui transit impatiens et commiscetur rixæ alterius.
18 You're like a crazy person firing off blazing arrows and killing people
Sicut noxius est qui mittit sagittas et lanceas in mortem,
19 if you lie to your friend and then say, “I was only joking!”
ita vir fraudulenter nocet amico suo, et cum fuerit deprehensus dicit: Ludens feci.
20 Without wood, the fire goes out; and without gossips, arguments stop.
Cum defecerint ligna extinguetur ignis, et susurrone subtracto, jurgia conquiescent.
21 An argumentative person fires up quarrels like putting charcoal on hot embers or wood on a fire.
Sicut carbones ad prunas, et ligna ad ignem, sic homo iracundus suscitat rixas.
22 Listening to gossip is like gulping down bites of your favorite food—they go deep down inside you.
Verba susurronis quasi simplicia, et ipsa perveniunt ad intima ventris.
23 Smooth talking with evil intent is like a shiny lead glaze on an earthenware pot.
Quomodo si argento sordido ornare velis vas fictile, sic labia tumentia cum pessimo corde sociata.
24 People say nice things to you even though they hate you; deep down they're just lying to you.
Labiis suis intelligitur inimicus, cum in corde tractaverit dolos.
25 When people talk nicely to you, don't believe them—their minds are full of hate for you.
Quando submiserit vocem suam, ne credideris ei, quoniam septem nequitiæ sunt in corde illius.
26 Even though their hatred may be hidden by cunning tricks, their evil will be revealed to everyone.
Qui operit odium fraudulenter, revelabitur malitia ejus in consilio.
27 Those who dig pits to trap others will fall in themselves, and those who start boulders rolling will be crushed themselves.
Qui fodit foveam incidet in eam, et qui volvit lapidem revertetur ad eum.
28 If you tell lies, you show you hate your victims; if you flatter people, you cause disaster.
Lingua fallax non amat veritatem, et os lubricum operatur ruinas.
