Proverbs 26

26Like snow in summer and rain at harvest,^m

honor is inappropriate for a fool.ⁿ

²Like a flitting sparrow or a fluttering swallow,^o

an undeserved curse goes nowhere.^p

³A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,^q

and a rod for the backs of fools.^r

⁴Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness^s

or you’ll be like him yourself.

⁵Answer a fool according to his foolishness^t

or he’ll become wise in his own eyes.^u

⁶The one who sends a message by a fool’s hand^v

cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.^w

⁷A proverb in the mouth of a fool

is like lame legs that hang limp.

⁸Giving honor to a fool

is like binding a stone in a sling.

⁹A proverb in the mouth of a fool

is like a stick with thorns,

brandished by^B the hand of a drunkard.

¹⁰The one who hires a fool or who hires those passing by

is like an archer who wounds everyone indiscriminately.

¹¹As a dog returns to its vomit,

so also a fool repeats his foolishness.^x

¹²Do you see a person who is wise in his own eyes?^y

There is more hope for a fool than for him.^z

¹³The slacker says, “There’s a lion in the road—

a lion in the public square!”^aa

¹⁴A door turns on its hinges,

and a slacker, on his bed.^ab

¹⁵The slacker buries his hand in the bowl;

he is too weary to bring it to his mouth!^ac

¹⁶In his own eyes, a slacker is wiser^ad

than seven who can answer sensibly.

¹⁷A person who is passing by and meddles in a quarrel that’s not his

is like one who grabs a dog by the ears.

¹⁸Like a madman who throws flaming darts and deadly arrows,^ae

¹⁹so is the person who deceives his neighbor

and says, “I was only joking!”

²⁰Without wood, fire goes out;

without a gossip, conflict dies down.^af

²¹As charcoal for embers and wood for fire,

so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.^ag

²²A gossip’s words are like choice food

that goes down to one’s innermost being.^Aa

²³Smooth^B lips with an evil heart

are like glaze on an earthen vessel.^b

²⁴A hateful person disguises himself with his speech

and harbors deceit within.

²⁵When he speaks graciously, don’t believe him,

for there are seven detestable things in his heart.^c

²⁶Though his hatred is concealed by deception,

his evil will be revealed in the assembly.

²⁷The one who digs a pit will fall into it,

and whoever rolls a stone—

it will come back on him.^d

²⁸A lying tongue hates those it crushes,

and a flattering mouth causes ruin.