(A)Answer not a fool according to his folly,
    lest you be like him yourself.
(B)Answer a fool according to his folly,
    lest he be (C)wise in his own eyes.

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Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness(A)
or you’ll be like him yourself.
Answer a fool according to his foolishness(B)
or he’ll become wise in his own eyes.(C)

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17 Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own
    is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.

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17 A person who is passing by and meddles in a quarrel that’s not his
is like one who grabs a dog by the ears.

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20 For lack of wood the fire goes out,
    and where there is no (A)whisperer, (B)quarreling ceases.
21 As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
    so is (C)a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

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20 Without wood, fire goes out;
without a gossip, conflict dies down.(A)
21 As charcoal for embers and wood for fire,
so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.(B)

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22 (A)A man of wrath stirs up strife,
    and one given to anger causes much transgression.

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22 An angry man stirs up conflict,
and a hot-tempered man[a] increases rebellion.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 29:22 Lit a master of rage

33 For pressing milk produces curds,
    pressing the nose produces blood,
    and pressing anger produces strife.

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33 For the churning of milk produces butter,
and twisting a nose draws blood,
and stirring up anger produces strife.(A)

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