Proverbs 26

¹ Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
honor is not fitting for a fool.

² Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,
a curse without cause does not alight.

³ A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
and a rod for the back of fools.

⁴ Answer not a fool according to his folly,
lest you be like him yourself.

⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly,
lest he be wise in his own eyes.

⁶ Cutting off one's own feet and drinking violence
is one who sends a message by the hand of a fool.

⁷ Like a lame person's limp legs,
so is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

⁸ Like one who ties a stone in a sling
is one who gives honor to a fool.

⁹ Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkard
is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

¹⁰ Like an archer who wounds everyone
is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.

¹¹ Like a dog that returns to its vomit
is a fool who repeats his folly.

¹² Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

¹³ The sluggard says, 'There is a lion in the road,
a fierce lion in the streets!'

¹⁴ As a door turns on its hinges,
so does a sluggard on his bed.

¹⁵ The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.

¹⁶ The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
than seven men who answer with good sense.

¹⁷ Like someone who takes a dog by the ears
is one who meddles in a quarrel not his own.

¹⁸ Like a madman who throws flaming arrows,
deadly shafts and arrows,

¹⁹ so is the person who deceives his neighbor
and says, 'I was only joking!'

²⁰ Without wood the fire goes out,
and where there is no whisperer, quarreling dies down.

²¹ As charcoal to burning coals and wood to fire,
so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.

²² The words of a whisperer are like choice morsels;
they go down into the inner parts.

²³ Like glaze applied to earthenware
are burning lips and a wicked heart.

²⁴ The one who hates disguises himself with his lips
and stores up deceit within;

²⁵ when he speaks graciously, do not believe him,
for seven abominations are in his heart;

²⁶ though his hatred is covered with deception,
his wickedness will be exposed before the assembly.

²⁷ Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
and a stone will come back on the one who rolls it.

²⁸ A lying tongue hates those it hurts,
and a flattering mouth causes ruin.