Proverbs 26

26Like snow in summer or ^urain in harvest,

so ^vhonor is ^wnot fitting for a fool.

²Like ^xa sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,

^ya curse that is causeless does not alight.

^3zA whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,

and ^aa rod for the back of fools.

^4bAnswer not a fool according to his folly,

lest you be like him yourself.

^5cAnswer a fool according to his folly,

lest he be ^dwise in his own eyes.

⁶Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool

cuts off his own feet and ^edrinks violence.

⁷Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless,

is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

⁸Like one who binds the stone in the sling

is ^fone who gives honor to a fool.

⁹Like ^ga thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard

is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

¹⁰Like an archer who wounds everyone

is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.¹

¹¹Like ^ha dog that returns to his vomit

is ⁱa fool who repeats his folly.

¹²Do you see a man who is ^jwise in his own eyes?

^kThere is more hope for a fool than for him.

^13lThe sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!

There is a lion in the streets!”

¹⁴As a door turns on its hinges,

so does a sluggard on his bed.

^15mThe sluggard buries his hand in the dish;

it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.

¹⁶The sluggard is ^jwiser in his own eyes

ⁿthan seven men who can answer sensibly.

¹⁷Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own

is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.

¹⁸Like a madman who throws ^ofirebrands, arrows, and death

¹⁹is the man who deceives his neighbor

and says, “I am only joking!”

²⁰For lack of wood the fire goes out,

and where there is no ^pwhisperer, ^qquarreling ceases.

²¹As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,

so is ^ra quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

^22sThe words of ^pa whisperer are like delicious morsels;

they go down into the inner parts of the body.

^23tLike the ^uglaze² covering an earthen vessel

are fervent lips with an evil heart.

²⁴Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips

and harbors deceit in his heart;

^25vwhen he speaks graciously, believe him not,

for there are ^wseven abominations in his heart;

²⁶though his hatred be covered with deception,

his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

^27xWhoever digs a pit will fall into it,

and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.

²⁸A lying tongue hates its victims,

and a flattering mouth works ruin.