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12 Let a bear robbed of her cubs meet a man,
    rather than a fool in his folly.

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12 Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man,
Rather than a fool in his folly.

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Don’t speak in the ears of a fool,
    for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

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Speak not in the hearing of a fool;
For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

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Don’t answer a fool according to his folly,
    lest you also be like him.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
    lest he be wise in his own eyes.
One who sends a message by the hand of a fool
    is cutting off feet and drinking violence.
Like the legs of the lame that hang loose,
    so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
As one who binds a stone in a sling,
    so is he who gives honor to a fool.
Like a thorn bush that goes into the hand of a drunkard,
    so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
10 As an archer who wounds all,
    so is he who hires a fool
    or he who hires those who pass by.
11 As a dog that returns to his vomit,
    so is a fool who repeats his folly.

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Answer not a fool according to his folly,
Lest thou also be like unto him.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest he be wise in [a]his own conceit.
He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool
Cutteth off his own feet, and drinketh in damage.
The legs of the lame hang loose;
So is a parable in the mouth of fools.
As one that bindeth a stone in a sling,
So is he that giveth honor to a fool.
As a thorn that goeth up into the hand of a drunkard,
So is a parable in the mouth of fools.
10 [b]As an archer that woundeth all,
So is he that hireth a fool and he that hireth them that pass by.
11 As a dog that returneth to his vomit,
So is a fool that repeateth his folly.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:5 Hebrew his own eyes.
  2. Proverbs 26:10 Or, A master worker formeth all things; But he that hireth the fool is as one that hireth them that pass by. The Hebrew is obscure.

22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain,
    yet his foolishness will not be removed from him.

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22 Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with bruised grain,
Yet will not his foolishness depart from him.

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If a wise man goes to court with a foolish man,
    the fool rages or scoffs, and there is no peace.

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If a wise man hath a controversy with a foolish man,
[a]Whether he be angry or laugh, there will be no rest.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 29:9 Or, He rageth and laugheth, and there is no rest