Proverbs Monthly
Assorted Fools
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.
13 A lazy person says, “There’s a ferocious lion in the street.
There’s a lion in the public square!”
14 A door turns on its hinges,
and a lazy person turns on his bed.
15 A lazy person buries his hand in a dish,
but he is too tired to return it to his mouth.
16 A lazy person considers himself wiser
than seven people who answer sensibly.
17 A passerby who meddles in a quarrel that is not his
is like a person who grabs a dog by the ears.
18 A person who deceives his neighbor and then says, “I was only joking,”
19 is like a madman who shoots firebrands and deadly arrows.[c]
20 When there is no more wood, a fire goes out,
and without gossip, a quarrel dies down.
21 As charcoal is to hot embers and as wood is to fire,
so a quarrelsome person is to igniting a fight.
22 Words of a gossip are like food that is easy to swallow.
They go down to the depths of one’s heart.[d]
23 Fervent[e] lips and an evil heart
are like a glaze[f] covering a clay pot.
24 With his lips a person hides his hatred,
but he hides deceit inside.
25 When his voice sounds gracious, do not believe him,
because seven abominations are in his heart.
26 His hatred covers itself with deceit,
but his evil will be revealed in the assembly.
27 The person who digs a pit will fall into it.
The person who rolls away a stone—it will roll back over him.
28 A lying tongue hates those it crushes,
and a smooth mouth causes ruin.
27 Do not boast about tomorrow,
because you do not know what a day may produce.
2 Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth—
a stranger, not your own lips.
3 A stone is heavy and sand is a burden,
but aggravation from a stubborn fool is heavier than both.
4 Cruel wrath and a flood of anger are devastating,
but who can stand up against jealousy?
5 Open correction is better than concealed love.
6 Wounds from someone who loves you can be trusted,
but the kisses of someone who hates you are too much.[g]
7 A satisfied appetite refuses honey,
but to a hungry appetite, everything bitter tastes sweet.
8 A person who wanders from his place
is like a bird that wanders from its nest.
9 Olive oil and incense bring joy to a heart,
and the sweetness of a friend comes from his sincere advice.[h]
10 Do not abandon your friend or your father’s friend,
and do not go to your brother’s house when disaster strikes you.
A neighbor who is near is better than a brother who is far away.
11 Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart,
so that I may answer anyone who taunts me.
12 A sensible person sees trouble and hides,
but naïve people keep going and pay the penalty.
13 Take the garment of someone who guarantees a loan for a stranger.
Keep it when someone pledges it on behalf of an immoral woman.
14 When someone blesses his neighbor in a loud voice early in the morning,
it will be regarded as a curse.
15 Constantly dripping water on a rainy day
and a nagging wife are alike.
16 Trying to hold her back is like holding back the wind,
like grasping oil with your right hand.[i]
17 Iron sharpens iron,
and a man sharpens the insight of his friend.
18 A person who tends a fig tree eats its fruit,
and a person who takes care of his master will be honored.
19 As water reflects a person’s face,
so a person’s heart reflects the person.
20 Death and Destruction[j] are never satisfied,
and a person’s eyes are never satisfied.
21 A crucible is for refining silver and a smelter is for gold,
and a person is tested by his praise.[k]
22 Even if you grind a stubborn fool
like grain with a mortar and pestle,
his stupidity will not leave him.
23 Be certain that you know the condition of your flock very well.
Pay attention to your herds,
24 because wealth is not forever,
nor does a crown pass from generation to generation.
25 The hay is removed and new growth appears,
and grass from the mountains is gathered in.
26 Lambs provide wool for your clothing,
and the price of the field can be earned from the goats.
27 What’s more, there will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
for your household’s food,
and to maintain the life of your servant girls.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.