Proverbs 26:3-25
English Standard Version
3 (A)A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
and (B)a rod for the back of fools.
4 (C)Answer not a fool according to his folly,
lest you be like him yourself.
5 (D)Answer a fool according to his folly,
lest he be (E)wise in his own eyes.
6 Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool
cuts off his own feet and (F)drinks violence.
7 Like a lame man's legs, which hang useless,
is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
8 Like one who binds the stone in the sling
is (G)one who gives honor to a fool.
9 Like (H)a thorn that goes up 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.[a]
11 Like (I)a dog that returns to his vomit
is (J)a fool who repeats his folly.
12 Do you see a man who is (K)wise in his own eyes?
(L)There is more hope for a fool than for him.
13 (M)The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!
There is a lion in the streets!”
14 As a door turns on its hinges,
so does a sluggard on his bed.
15 (N)The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.
16 The sluggard is (O)wiser in his own eyes
(P)than seven men who can answer sensibly.
17 Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own
is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.
18 Like a madman who throws (Q)firebrands, arrows, and death
19 is the man who deceives his neighbor
and says, “I am only joking!”
20 For lack of wood the fire goes out,
and where there is no (R)whisperer, (S)quarreling ceases.
21 As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
so is (T)a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
22 (U)The words of (V)a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.
23 (W)Like the (X)glaze[b] covering an earthen vessel
are fervent lips with an evil heart.
24 Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips
and harbors deceit in his heart;
25 (Y)when he speaks graciously, believe him not,
for there are (Z)seven abominations in his heart;
Footnotes
- Proverbs 26:10 Or hires a fool or passersby
- Proverbs 26:23 By revocalization; Hebrew silver of dross
Proverbs 26:3-25
New International Version
3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,(A)
and a rod for the backs of fools!(B)
4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
or you yourself will be just like him.(C)
5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
or he will be wise in his own eyes.(D)
6 Sending a message by the hands of a fool(E)
is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison.
7 Like the useless legs of one who is lame
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.(F)
8 Like tying a stone in a sling
is the giving of honor to a fool.(G)
9 Like a thornbush in a drunkard’s hand
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.(H)
10 Like an archer who wounds at random
is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.
11 As a dog returns to its vomit,(I)
so fools repeat their folly.(J)
12 Do you see a person wise in their own eyes?(K)
There is more hope for a fool than for them.(L)
13 A sluggard says,(M) “There’s a lion in the road,
a fierce lion roaming the streets!”(N)
14 As a door turns on its hinges,
so a sluggard turns on his bed.(O)
15 A sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.(P)
16 A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
than seven people who answer discreetly.
17 Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears
is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own.
18 Like a maniac shooting
flaming arrows of death
19 is one who deceives their neighbor
and says, “I was only joking!”
Footnotes
- Proverbs 26:23 Hebrew; Septuagint smooth
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