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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