Proverbiorum 26
1 quomodo nix aestate et pluvia in messe sic indecens est stulto gloria
Like snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so kavod ·weighty glory· is not fitting for a fool.
2 sicut avis ad alia transvolans et passer quolibet vadens sic maledictum frustra prolatum in quempiam superveniet
Like a fluttering sparrow, like a darting swallow, so the undeserved curse does not come to rest.
3 flagellum equo et camus asino et virga dorso inprudentium
A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools!
4 ne respondeas stulto iuxta stultitiam suam ne efficiaris ei similis
Don’t answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him.
5 responde stulto iuxta stultitiam suam ne sibi sapiens esse videatur
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.
6 claudus pedibus et iniquitatem bibens qui mittit verba per nuntium stultum
One who sends a message by the hand of a fool is cutting off feet and drinking violence.
7 quomodo pulchras frustra habet claudus tibias sic indecens est in ore stultorum parabola
Like the legs of the lame that hang loose: so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
8 sicut qui mittit lapidem in acervum Mercurii ita qui tribuit insipienti honorem
As one who binds a stone in a sling, so is he who gives kavod ·weighty glory· to a fool.
9 quomodo si spina nascatur in manu temulenti sic parabola in ore stultorum
Like a thorn bush that goes into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
10 iudicium determinat causas et qui inponit stulto silentium iras mitigat
As an archer who wounds all, so is he who hires a fool or he who hires those who pass by.
11 sicut canis qui revertitur ad vomitum suum sic inprudens qui iterat stultitiam suam
As a dog that makes teshuvah ·completely returns· to his vomit, so is a fool who repeats his folly.
12 vidisti hominem sapientem sibi videri magis illo spem habebit stultus
Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
13 dicit piger leaena in via leo in itineribus
The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion roams the streets!”
14 sicut ostium vertitur in cardine suo ita piger in lectulo suo
As the door turns on its hinges, so does the sluggard on his bed.
15 abscondit piger manus sub ascellas suas et laborat si ad os suum eas converterit
The sluggard buries his hand in the dish. He is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.
16 sapientior sibi piger videtur septem viris loquentibus sententias
The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer with discretion.
17 sicut qui adprehendit auribus canem sic qui transit et inpatiens commiscetur rixae alterius
Like one who grabs a dog’s ears is one who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own.
18 sicut noxius est qui mittit lanceas et sagittas et mortem
Like a madman who shoots torches, arrows, and death,
19 sic vir qui fraudulenter nocet amico suo et cum fuerit deprehensus dicit ludens feci
is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “Am I not joking?”
20 cum defecerint ligna extinguetur ignis et susurrone subtracto iurgia conquiescunt
For lack of wood a fire goes out. Without gossip, a quarrel dies down.
21 sicut carbones ad prunam et ligna ad ignem sic homo iracundus suscitat rixas
As coals are to hot embers, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindling strife.
22 verba susurronis quasi simplicia et ipsa perveniunt ad intima ventris
The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, they go down into the innermost parts.
23 quomodo si argento sordido ornare velis vas fictile sic labia tumentia cum pessimo corde sociata
Like silver dross on an earthen vessel are the lips of a fervent one with an evil heart.
24 labiis suis intellegitur inimicus cum in corde tractaverit dolos
A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, but he harbors evil in his heart.
25 quando submiserit vocem suam ne credideris ei quoniam septem nequitiae sunt in corde illius
When his speech is pleasant, don’t believe him; for there are seven abominations in his heart.
26 qui operit odium fraudulenter revelabitur malitia eius in concilio
His malice may be concealed by deception, but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
27 qui fodit foveam incidet in eam et qui volvit lapidem revertetur ad eum
Whoever digs a pit shall fall into it. Whoever rolls a stone, it will come back on him.
28 lingua fallax non amat veritatem et os lubricum operatur ruinas
A lying tongue hates those it hurts; and a flattering mouth works ruin.
