Proverbs 26:6-16

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

⁶ It is like cutting off one’s foot and drinking down violence,
    to send a message by a fool.
⁷ The legs of a lame person hang limp;
    so does a proverb in the mouth of a fool.^(A)
8 It is like binding a stone in a sling
    to give honor to a fool.^(B)
9 Like a thornbush brandished by the hand of a drunkard
    is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.^(C)
10 Like an archer who wounds everybody
    is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.^[a]
11 Like a dog that returns to its vomit
    is a fool who reverts to his folly.^(D)
12 Do you see people wise in their own eyes?
    There is more hope for fools than for them.^(E)
13 The lazy person says, “There is a lion in the road!
    There is a lion in the streets!”^(F)
14 As a door turns on its hinges,
    so does a lazy person in bed.
¹⁵ The lazy person buries a hand in the dish
    and is too tired to bring it back to the mouth.^(G)
16 The lazy person is wiser in self-esteem
    than seven who can answer discreetly.