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