Proverbs Monthly
26 It shouldn’t snow in summer or rain at harvest.
Neither should a foolish person ever be honored.
2 Curses will not harm someone who is innocent.
They are like sparrows or swallows that fly around and never land.
3 A whip is used to guide a horse, and a harness is used for a donkey.
In the same way, a paddle is used on a foolish person to guide him.
4 Don’t give a foolish person a foolish answer.
If you do, you will be just like him.
5 But answer a foolish person as he should be answered.
If you don’t, he will think he is really wise.
6 Don’t send a message by a foolish person.
That would be like cutting off your feet or drinking poison.
7 A wise saying spoken by a fool does no good.
It is like the legs of a crippled person.
8 Giving honor to a foolish person does no good.
It is like tying a stone in a slingshot.
9 A wise saying spoken by a fool
is like a thorn stuck in the hand of a drunk.
10 Someone might employ a foolish person or anyone just passing by.
That employer is like an archer who shoots at anything he sees.
11 A dog eats what it throws up.
And a foolish person repeats his foolishness.
12 Some people think they are wise.
There is more hope for a foolish person than for them.
13 The lazy person says, “There’s a lion in the road.
There’s a lion in the streets!”
14 The lazy person is like a door that turns back and forth on its hinges.
He stays in bed and turns over and over.
15 The lazy person may put his hand in the dish.
But he’s too tired to lift the food to his mouth.
16 The lazy person thinks he is wiser
than seven people who give sensible answers.
17 To grab a dog by the ears is asking for trouble.
So is interfering in someone else’s quarrel if you’re just passing by.
18-19 A person shouldn’t trick his neighbor
and then say, “I was just joking!”
That is like a madman shooting
deadly, burning arrows.
20 Without wood, a fire will go out.
And without gossip, quarreling will stop.
21 Charcoal and wood keep a fire going.
In the same way, a quarrelsome person keeps an argument going.
22 The words of a gossip are like tasty bits of food.
People take them all in.
23 Kind words from a wicked mind
are like a shiny coating on a clay pot.
24 A person who hates you may fool you with his words.
But in his mind he is planning evil.
25 His words are kind, but don’t believe him.
His mind is full of evil thoughts.
26 He hides his hate with lies.
But his evil will be plain to everyone.
27 Whoever digs a deep trap for others will fall into it himself.
Whoever tries to roll a boulder over others will be crushed by it.
28 A liar hates the people he hurts.
And false praise can ruin others.
27 Don’t brag about what will happen tomorrow.
You don’t really know what will happen then.
2 Don’t praise yourself. Let someone else do it.
Let the praise come from a stranger and not from your own mouth.
3 Stone is heavy, and sand is hard to carry.
But the complaining of a foolish person causes more trouble than either.
4 Anger is cruel. It destroys like a flood.
But who can put up with jealousy!
5 It is better to correct someone openly
than to love him and not show it.
6 The slap of a friend can be trusted to help you.
But the kisses of an enemy are nothing but lies.
7 When someone is full, not even honey tastes good.
But when he is hungry, even something bitter tastes sweet.
8 A man who leaves his home
is like a bird that leaves its nest.
9 Perfume and oils make you happy.
And good advice from a friend is sweet.
10 Don’t forget your friend or your father’s friend.
Don’t always go to your brother for help when trouble comes.
A neighbor close by is better than a brother far away.
11 Be wise, my child, and you will make me happy.
Then I can respond to any insult.
12 When a wise person sees danger ahead, he avoids it.
But a foolish person keeps going and gets into trouble.
13 Take the coat of someone who promises to pay what a stranger owes.
Keep it until he pays the stranger’s bills.
14 Don’t greet your neighbor loudly early in the morning.
He will think of it as a curse.
15 A quarreling wife is as bothersome
as a continual dripping on a rainy day.
16 Stopping her is like stopping the wind.
It’s like trying to grab oil in your hand.
17 Iron can sharpen iron.
In the same way, people can help each other.
18 The person who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit.
And the person who takes care of his master will be honored.
19 As water shows you your face,
so your mind shows you what kind of person you are.
20 People will never stop dying and being destroyed.
In the same way, people will never stop wanting more than they have.
21 A hot furnace tests silver and gold.
And people are tested by the praise they receive.
22 Even if you ground up a foolish person like grain in a bowl,
you couldn’t remove his foolishness.
23 Be sure you know how your sheep are doing.
Pay close attention to the condition of your cattle.
24 Riches will not continue forever.
Nor do governments continue forever.
25 Bring in the hay. Let the new grass appear.
Gather the grass from the hills.
26 Make clothes from the lambs’ wool.
Sell some goats to buy a field.
27 There will be plenty of goat milk
to feed you and your family.
It will make your servant girls healthy.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.