Proverbs 26:2-4
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
2 Like the sparrow in its flitting, like the swallow in its flight,
a curse uncalled-for never lands.[a]
3 The whip for the horse, the bridle for the ass,
and the rod for the back of fools.(A)
4 [b]Do not answer fools according to their folly,
lest you too become like them.
Footnotes
- 26:2 The point is the similarity of actions: a hovering bird that never lands, a groundless curse that never “lands.” It hangs in the air posing no threat to anyone.
- 26:4–5 There is no contradiction between these two proverbs. In their answers, the wise must protect their own interests against fools. Or perhaps the juxtaposition of the two proverbs suggests that no single proverb can resolve every problem in life.
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