Proverbs 17:28
New Living Translation
28 Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent;
with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.
Proverbs 17:28
International Standard Version
28 Even a fool is thought to be wise when he remains silent;
he is thought to be prudent when he keeps his mouth shut.
Proverbs 18:2
New Living Translation
2 Fools have no interest in understanding;
they only want to air their own opinions.
Proverbs 18:2
International Standard Version
2 A fool finds no satisfaction in trying to understand,
for he would rather express his own opinion.
Proverbs 18:6-7
New Living Translation
6 Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels;
they are asking for a beating.
7 The mouths of fools are their ruin;
they trap themselves with their lips.
Proverbs 18:6-7
International Standard Version
6 A fool’s words[a] bring strife,
and his mouth invites fighting.
7 A fool’s mouth is his unraveling,
and his lips entrap himself.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 18:6 Lit. lips
Proverbs 19:1
New Living Translation
19 Better to be poor and honest
than to be dishonest and a fool.
Proverbs 19:1
International Standard Version
The Priorities of Life Contrasted
19 A poor man who walks blamelessly is better
than a fool who speaks perversely.
Proverbs 19:10
New Living Translation
10 It isn’t right for a fool to live in luxury
or for a slave to rule over princes!
Proverbs 19:10
International Standard Version
10 It’s not fitting for a fool to live in luxury;
neither is it for a servant to rule over princes.
Proverbs 19:29
New Living Translation
29 Punishment is made for mockers,
and the backs of fools are made to be beaten.
Proverbs 19:29
International Standard Version
29 Condemnation is appropriate for mockers,
just as beatings are for the backs of fools.
Proverbs 20:3
New Living Translation
3 Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor;
only fools insist on quarreling.
Proverbs 20:3
International Standard Version
3 Avoiding strife brings a man honor,
but every fool is quarrelsome.
Proverbs 23:9
New Living Translation
9 Don’t waste your breath on fools,
for they will despise the wisest advice.
Proverbs 23:9
International Standard Version
9 Don’t speak when a fool is listening,
because he’ll despise your wise words.
Proverbs 24:7
New Living Translation
7 Wisdom is too lofty for fools.
Among leaders at the city gate, they have nothing to say.
Proverbs 24:7
International Standard Version
7 Wisdom lies beyond reach of the fool;
he has nothing to say in court.[a]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:7 Lit. in the gate
Proverbs 26:1
New Living Translation
26 Honor is no more associated with fools
than snow with summer or rain with harvest.
Proverbs 26:1
International Standard Version
On Fools
26 Like snowfall in summer or rain at harvest time,
so honor is inappropriate for a fool.
Proverbs 26:3-12
New Living Translation
3 Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle,
and a fool with a rod to his back!
4 Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools,
or you will become as foolish as they are.
5 Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools,
or they will become wise in their own estimation.
6 Trusting a fool to convey a message
is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison!
7 A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is as useless as a paralyzed leg.
8 Honoring a fool
is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot.
9 A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk.
10 An employer who hires a fool or a bystander
is like an archer who shoots at random.
11 As a dog returns to its vomit,
so a fool repeats his foolishness.
12 There is more hope for fools
than for people who think they are wise.
Proverbs 26:3-12
International Standard Version
3 A whip is for the horses,
a bridle is for the donkey,
a rod is for the back of fools.
4 Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness,
or you will be just like him.
5 Answer a fool according to his foolishness,
or he will think himself to be wise.
6 Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool
cuts off his own[a] feet and drinks violence.
7 Useless legs to the lame—
that’s what a proverb quoted by a fool is.
8 Tying a stone to a sling—
that’s what giving honor to a fool is.
9 A thorn in the hand of a drunkard—
that’s what a proverb quoted by a fool is.
10 An archer who shoots at anyone—
is like someone who hires a fool or anyone who passes by.
11 A dog that returns to its vomit
is like a fool who reverts to his folly.
12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own opinion?
There’s more hope for a fool than for him.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 26:6 The Heb. lacks his own
Proverbs 27:3
New Living Translation
3 A stone is heavy and sand is weighty,
but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier.
Proverbs 27:3
International Standard Version
3 Rocks are heavy,
and sand is weighty,
but a fool’s provocation outweighs them both.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
