Proverbs 19:3
New Living Translation
3 People ruin their lives by their own foolishness
and then are angry at the Lord.
Proverbs 19:3
Living Bible
3 A man may ruin his chances by his own foolishness and then blame it on the Lord!
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Proverbs 20:3
New Living Translation
3 Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor;
only fools insist on quarreling.
Proverbs 20:3
Living Bible
3 It is an honor for a man to stay out of a fight. Only fools insist on quarreling.
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Proverbs 21:20
New Living Translation
20 The wise have wealth and luxury,
but fools spend whatever they get.
Proverbs 21:20
Living Bible
20 The wise man saves for the future,[a] but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.
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- Proverbs 21:20 The wise man saves for the future, literally, “There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise.”
Proverbs 22:15
New Living Translation
15 A youngster’s heart is filled with foolishness,
but physical discipline will drive it far away.
Proverbs 22:15
Living Bible
15 A youngster’s heart is filled with rebellion, but punishment will drive it out of him.
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Proverbs 26:1-12
New Living Translation
26 Honor is no more associated with fools
than snow with summer or rain with harvest.
2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,
an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.
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 26:1-12
Living Bible
26 Honor doesn’t go with fools any more than snow with summertime or rain with harvesttime!
2 An undeserved curse has no effect. Its intended victim will be no more harmed by it than by a sparrow or swallow flitting through the sky.
3 Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle, and a rebel with a rod to his back!
4-5 When arguing with a rebel, don’t use foolish arguments as he does, or you will become as foolish as he is! Prick his conceit with silly replies![a]
6 To trust a rebel to convey a message is as foolish as cutting off your feet and drinking poison!
7 In the mouth of a fool a proverb becomes as useless as a paralyzed leg.
8 Honoring a rebel will backfire like a stone tied to a slingshot!
9 A rebel will misapply an illustration so that its point will no more be felt than a thorn in the hand of a drunkard.
10 The master may get better work from an untrained apprentice than from a skilled rebel!
11 As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.
12 There is one thing worse than a fool, and that is a man who is conceited.
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- Proverbs 26:4 Prick his conceit with silly replies, implied; literally, “Reply to a fool as his folly requires.”
Proverbs 28:26
New Living Translation
26 Those who trust their own insight are foolish,
but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe.
Proverbs 28:26
Living Bible
26 A man is a fool to trust himself! But those who use God’s wisdom are safe.
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Proverbs 29:11
New Living Translation
11 Fools vent their anger,
but the wise quietly hold it back.
Proverbs 29:11
Living Bible
11 A rebel shouts in anger; a wise man holds his temper in and cools it.
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Proverbs 30:32
New Living Translation
32 If you have been a fool by being proud or plotting evil,
cover your mouth in shame.
Proverbs 30:32
Living Bible
32 If you have been a fool by being proud or plotting evil, don’t brag about it—cover your mouth with your hand in shame.
Read full chapterHoly 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.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.