Proverbs 26

26As snow in summer ^aand rain in harvest,

So honor is not fitting for a fool.

²Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow,

So ^ba curse without cause shall not alight.

^3cA whip for the horse,

A bridle for the donkey,

And a rod for the fool’s back.

⁴Do not answer a fool according to his folly,

Lest you also be like him.

^5dAnswer a fool according to his folly,

Lest he be wise in his own eyes.

⁶He who sends a message by the hand of a fool

Cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

⁷Like the legs of the lame that hang limp

Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

⁸Like one who binds a stone in a sling

Is he who gives honor to a fool.

⁹Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkard

Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

¹⁰¹The great God who formed everything

Gives the fool his hire and the transgressor his wages.

^11eAs a dog returns to his own vomit,

^fSo a fool repeats his folly.

^12gDo you see a man wise in his own eyes?

There is more hope for a fool than for him.

¹³The lazy man says, “There is a lion in the road!

A fierce lion is in the ²streets!”

¹⁴As a door turns on its hinges,

So does the lazy man on his bed.

¹⁵The ^hlazy man buries his hand in the ³bowl;

It wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.

¹⁶The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes

Than seven men who can answer sensibly.

¹⁷He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own

Is like one who takes a dog by the ears.

¹⁸Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death,

¹⁹Is the man who deceives his neighbor,

And says, ⁱ“I was only joking!”

²⁰Where there is no wood, the fire goes out;

And where there is no ⁴talebearer, strife ceases.

^21jAs charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire,

So is a contentious man to kindle strife.

²²The words of a ⁵talebearer are like ⁶tasty trifles,

And they go down into the ⁷inmost body.

²³Fervent lips with a wicked heart

Are like earthenware covered with silver dross.

²⁴He who hates, disguises it with his lips,

And lays up deceit within himself;

^25kWhen ⁸he speaks kindly, do not believe him,

For there are seven abominations in his heart;

²⁶Though his hatred is covered by deceit,

His wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.

^27lWhoever digs a pit will fall into it,

And he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.

²⁸A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it,

And a flattering mouth works ^mruin.