Proverbs 26-27
Holman Christian Standard Bible
26 Like snow in summer and rain at harvest,(A)
honor is inappropriate for a fool.(B)
2 Like a flitting sparrow or a fluttering swallow,(C)
an undeserved curse goes nowhere.(D)
3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,(E)
and a rod for the backs of fools.(F)
4 Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness(G)
or you’ll be like him yourself.
5 Answer a fool according to his foolishness(H)
or he’ll become wise in his own eyes.(I)
6 The one who sends a message by a fool’s hand(J)
cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.(K)
7 A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is like lame legs that hang limp.
8 Giving honor to a fool
is like binding a stone in a sling.[a]
9 A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is like a stick with thorns,
brandished by[b] the hand of a drunkard.
10 The one who hires a fool or who hires those passing by
is like an archer who wounds everyone.
11 As a dog returns to its vomit,
so a fool repeats his foolishness.(L)
12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?(M)
There is more hope for a fool than for him.(N)
13 The slacker says, “There’s a lion in the road—
a lion in the public square!”(O)
14 A door turns on its hinges,
and a slacker, on his bed.(P)
15 The slacker buries his hand in the bowl;
he is too weary to bring it to his mouth.(Q)
16 In his own eyes, a slacker is wiser(R)
than seven men who can answer sensibly.
17 A person who is passing by and meddles in a quarrel that’s not his
is like one who grabs a dog by the ears.
18 Like a madman who throws flaming darts and deadly arrows,(S)
19 so is the man who deceives his neighbor
and says, “I was only joking!”
20 Without wood, fire goes out;
without a gossip, conflict dies down.(T)
21 As charcoal for embers and wood for fire,
so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.(U)
22 A gossip’s words are like choice food
that goes down to one’s innermost being.[c](V)
23 Smooth[d] lips with an evil heart
are like glaze on an earthen vessel.(W)
24 A hateful person disguises himself with his speech
and harbors deceit within.
25 When he speaks graciously, don’t believe him,
for there are seven abominations in his heart.(X)
26 Though his hatred is concealed by deception,
his evil will be revealed in the assembly.
27 The one who digs a pit will fall into it,
and whoever rolls a stone—
it will come back on him.(Y)
28 A lying tongue hates those it crushes,
and a flattering mouth causes ruin.
27 Don’t boast about tomorrow,
for you don’t know what a day might bring.(Z)
2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth—
a stranger, and not your own lips.(AA)
3 A stone is heavy and sand, a burden,
but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both.
4 Fury is cruel, and anger a flood,
but who can withstand jealousy?(AB)
5 Better an open reprimand
than concealed love.(AC)
7 A person who is full tramples on a honeycomb,(AF)
but to a hungry person, any bitter thing is sweet.
8 A man wandering from his home
is like a bird wandering from its nest.(AG)
9 Oil(AH) and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the sweetness of a friend is better than self-counsel.[e]
10 Don’t abandon your friend or your father’s friend,(AI)
and don’t go to your brother’s house
in your time of calamity;
better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.(AJ)
12 A sensible person sees danger and takes cover;
the inexperienced keep going and are punished.(AM)
13 Take his garment,[f]
for he has put up security for a stranger;
get collateral if it is for foreigners.[g](AN)
14 If one blesses his neighbor
with a loud voice early in the morning,
it will be counted as a curse to him.
15 An endless dripping on a rainy day
and a nagging wife are alike.(AO)
16 The one who controls her controls the wind
and grasps oil with his right hand.
17 Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.[h]
18 Whoever tends a fig tree(AP) will eat its fruit,(AQ)
and whoever looks after his master will be honored.
19 As water reflects the face,
so the heart reflects the person.
22 Though you grind a fool
in a mortar with a pestle along with grain,
you will not separate his foolishness from him.(AV)
23 Know well the condition of your flock,(AW)
and pay attention to your herds,
24 for wealth is not forever;(AX)
not even a crown lasts for all time.
25 When hay is removed and new growth appears
and the grain from the hills is gathered in,
26 lambs will provide your clothing,
and goats, the price of a field;
27 there will be enough goat’s milk for your food—
food for your household
and nourishment for your female servants.(AY)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 26:8 A stone bound in a sling would not release and could harm the person using the sling. A modern equivalent is jamming a cork in a gun barrel.
- Proverbs 26:9 Lit thorn that goes up into
- Proverbs 26:22 Lit to the chambers of the belly
- Proverbs 26:23 LXX; MT reads Burning
- Proverbs 27:9 LXX reads heart, but the soul is torn up by affliction
- Proverbs 27:13 A debtor’s outer garment held as collateral; Dt 24:12-13,17; Jb 22:6; Am 2:8
- Proverbs 27:13 Lit a foreign woman
- Proverbs 27:17 Lit and a man sharpens his friend’s face
- Proverbs 27:21 Or gold, but a man [is tested] by his praise
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