Proverbs 26:1-12

Evangelical Heritage Version

26 Like snow during summer and rain during the harvest,
so honor is not appropriate for a fool.
² Like a migrating bird or a flying swallow,
so an undeserved curse does not come to rest.
³ A whip is for horses, a bridle for donkeys,
and a rod for the backs of fools.

⁴ Do not answer a fool according to his folly.
If you do, you yourself will become like him.
⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly.
If you do not, he will consider himself wise.

⁶ It is like cutting off your own feet or drinking violence^[a]
when a person sends messages in the hand of a fool.
⁷ The legs of a lame person dangle.
So does a proverb in the mouth of fools.
⁸ Giving honor to a fool is
    like tying a stone in a slingshot.
⁹ A proverb in the mouth of a fool
    is like a thorn in a drunkard’s hand.
¹⁰ One who hires a fool or someone just passing by
    is like an archer who wounds at random.^[b]
11 As a dog returns to his vomit,
so a fool repeats his stupidity.
¹² Have you seen a person who is wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.