12 Let a man meet (A)a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.

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12 Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man,
    rather than a fool in his folly.

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(A)Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
For he will despise the wisdom of your words.

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Speak not in the ears of a fool:
for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

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Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest you also be like him.
(A)Answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest he be wise in his own eyes.
He who sends a message by the hand of a fool
Cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.
Like the legs of the lame that hang limp
Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
Like one who binds a stone in a sling
Is he who gives honor to a fool.
Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkard
Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
10 [a]The great God who formed everything
Gives the fool his hire and the transgressor his wages.
11 (B)As a dog returns to his own vomit,
(C)So a fool repeats his folly.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:10 Heb. difficult in v. 10; ancient and modern translators differ greatly

Answer not a fool according to his folly,
lest thou also be like unto him.

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

He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool
cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage.

The legs of the lame are not equal:
so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

As he that bindeth a stone in a sling,
so is he that giveth honour to a fool.

As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard,
so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

10 The great God that formed all things
both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors.

11 As a dog returneth to his vomit,
so a fool returneth to his folly.

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22 (A)Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain,
Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.

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22 Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle,
yet will not his foolishness depart from him.

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If a wise man contends with a foolish man,
(A)Whether the fool rages or laughs, there is no peace.

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If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man,
whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest.

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