Proverbs 26 (New Living Translation)

Proverbs 26

 ¹ Honor is no more associated with fools
      than snow with summer or rain with harvest.

 ² Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,
      an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.

 ³ Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle,
      and a fool with a rod to his back!

 ⁴ Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools,
      or you will become as foolish as they are.

 ⁵ Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools,
      or they will become wise in their own estimation.

 ⁶ Trusting a fool to convey a message
      is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison!

 ⁷ A proverb in the mouth of a fool
      is as useless as a paralyzed leg.

 ⁸ Honoring a fool
      is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot.

 ⁹ A proverb in the mouth of a fool
      is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk.

 ¹⁰ An employer who hires a fool or a bystander
      is like an archer who shoots at random.

 ¹¹ As a dog returns to its vomit,
      so a fool repeats his foolishness.

 ¹² There is more hope for fools
      than for people who think they are wise.

 ¹³ The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road!
      Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!”

 ¹⁴ As a door swings back and forth on its hinges,
      so the lazy person turns over in bed.

 ¹⁵ Lazy people take food in their hand
      but don’t even lift it to their mouth.

 ¹⁶ Lazy people consider themselves smarter
      than seven wise counselors.

 ¹⁷ Interfering in someone else’s argument
      is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears.

 ¹⁸ Just as damaging
      as a madman shooting a deadly weapon
 ¹⁹ is someone who lies to a friend
      and then says, “I was only joking.”

 ²⁰ Fire goes out without wood,
      and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.

 ²¹ A quarrelsome person starts fights
      as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.

 ²² Rumors are dainty morsels
      that sink deep into one’s heart.

 ²³ Smooth^[a] words may hide a wicked heart,
      just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.

 ²⁴ People may cover their hatred with pleasant words,
      but they’re deceiving you.
 ²⁵ They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them.
      Their hearts are full of many evils.^[b]
 26 While their hatred may be concealed by trickery,
      their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.

 ²⁷ If you set a trap for others,
      you will get caught in it yourself.
   If you roll a boulder down on others,
      it will crush you instead.

 ²⁸ A lying tongue hates its victims,
      and flattering words cause ruin.