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12 Let a man meet a she-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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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 hearing of a fool;
For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

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Answer not a fool according to his folly,
    lest you be like him yourself.
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 a lame man’s legs, which hang useless,
    is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
Like one who binds the stone in the sling
    is he who gives honor to a fool.
Like 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 everybody
    is he who hires a passing fool or drunkard.[a]
11 Like a dog that returns to his vomit
    is a fool that repeats his folly.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:10 The Hebrew text of this verse is uncertain

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 [a]his own conceit.
He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool
Cutteth off his own feet, and drinketh in damage.
The legs of the lame hang loose;
So is a parable in the mouth of fools.
As one that bindeth a stone in a sling,
So is he that giveth honor to a fool.
As a thorn that goeth up into the hand of a drunkard,
So is a parable in the mouth of fools.
10 [b]As an archer that woundeth all,
So is he that hireth a fool and he that hireth them that pass by.
11 As a dog that returneth to his vomit,
So is a fool that repeateth his folly.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:5 Hebrew his own eyes.
  2. Proverbs 26:10 Or, A master worker formeth all things; But he that hireth the fool is as one that hireth them that pass by. The Hebrew is obscure.

22 Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle
    along with crushed grain,
    yet his folly will not depart from him.

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22 Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with bruised grain,
Yet will not his foolishness depart from him.

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If a wise man has an argument with a fool,
    the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.

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If a wise man hath a controversy with a foolish man,
[a]Whether he be angry or laugh, there will be no rest.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 29:9 Or, He rageth and laugheth, and there is no rest