Proverbs 17:28
Holman Christian Standard Bible
28 Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent,
discerning when he seals his lips.(A)
Proverbs 17:28
Common English Bible
28 Fools who keep quiet are deemed wise;
those who shut their lips are smart.
Proverbs 18:2
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Footnotes
- Proverbs 18:2 Lit to uncover his heart
Proverbs 18:2
Common English Bible
2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing their opinion.
Proverbs 18:6-7
Holman Christian Standard Bible
6 A fool’s lips lead to strife,
and his mouth provokes a beating.(A)
7 A fool’s mouth is his devastation,
and his lips are a trap for his life.(B)
Proverbs 18:6-7
Common English Bible
6 The lips of fools make accusations;
their mouths elicit beatings.
7 The mouth of fools is their ruin;
their lips are a trap for their lives.
Proverbs 19:1
Holman Christian Standard Bible
19 Better a poor man who lives with integrity(A)
than someone who has deceitful lips and is a fool.
Proverbs 19:1
Common English Bible
19 Better to be poor and walk in innocence
than to have dishonest lips and be a fool.
Proverbs 19:10
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 19:10
Common English Bible
10 Luxury isn’t fitting for a fool;
even less so for a servant to rule over princes.
Proverbs 19:29
Holman Christian Standard Bible
29 Judgments are prepared for mockers,
and beatings for the backs of fools.(A)
Proverbs 19:29
Common English Bible
29 Punishments were made for mockers,
and blows for the backs of fools.
Proverbs 20:3
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 20:3
Common English Bible
3 It is honorable to back off from a fight,
but fools jump right in.
Proverbs 23:9
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:9 Lit in the ears of
Proverbs 23:9
Common English Bible
9 Don’t speak in the ears of fools,
for they will scorn your insightful words.
Proverbs 24:7
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:7 Lit is too high for
Proverbs 24:7
Common English Bible
7 Wisdom is beyond foolish people.
They don’t open their mouths in the gate.
Proverbs 26:1
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 26:1
Common English Bible
26 Like snow in the summer or rain at harvest,
so honor isn’t appropriate for a fool.
Proverbs 26:3-12
Holman Christian Standard Bible
3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,(A)
and a rod for the backs of fools.(B)
4 Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness(C)
or you’ll be like him yourself.
5 Answer a fool according to his foolishness(D)
or he’ll become wise in his own eyes.(E)
6 The one who sends a message by a fool’s hand(F)
cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.(G)
7 A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is like lame legs that hang limp.
8 Giving honor to a fool
is like binding a stone in a sling.[a]
9 A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is like a stick with thorns,
brandished by[b] the hand of a drunkard.
10 The one who hires a fool or who hires those passing by
is like an archer who wounds everyone.
11 As a dog returns to its vomit,
so a fool repeats his foolishness.(H)
12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?(I)
There is more hope for a fool than for him.(J)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 26:8 A stone bound in a sling would not release and could harm the person using the sling. A modern equivalent is jamming a cork in a gun barrel.
- Proverbs 26:9 Lit thorn that goes up into
Proverbs 26:3-12
Common English Bible
3 A whip for a horse, a bridle for a donkey,
and a rod for the back of fools.
4 Don’t answer fools according to their folly,
or you will become like them yourself.
5 Answer fools according to their folly,
or they will deem themselves wise.
6 Sending messages with a fool
is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking down violence.
7 As legs dangle from a disabled person,
so does a proverb in the mouth of fools.
8 Like tying a stone in a sling,
so is giving respect to a fool.
9 Like a thorny bush in the hand of a drunk,
so is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
10 Like an archer who wounds someone randomly,
so is one who hires a fool or a passerby.
11 Like a dog that returns to its vomit,
so a fool repeats foolish mistakes.
12 Do you see people who consider themselves wise?
There is more hope for a fool than for them.
Proverbs 27:3
Holman Christian Standard Bible
3 A stone is heavy and sand, a burden,
but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both.
Proverbs 27:3
Common English Bible
3 A stone is heavy and sand weighs much,
but the nuisance of fools is heavier than both.
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Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible