| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Like snow in summer and rain at harvest, honor does not befit a fool. | 1Honor is no more associated with fools than snow with summer or rain with harvest. |
| 2Like a fluttering sparrow or darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest. | 2Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim. |
| 3A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools! | 3Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle, and a fool with a rod to his back! |
| 4Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be like him. | 4Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are. |
| 5Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he become wise in his own eyes. | 5Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation. |
| 6Like cutting off one’s own feet or drinking violence is the sending of a message by the hand of a fool. | 6Trusting a fool to convey a message is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison! |
| 7Like lame legs hanging limp is a proverb in the mouth of a fool. | 7A proverb in the mouth of a fool is as useless as a paralyzed leg. |
| 8Like binding a stone into a sling is the giving of honor to a fool. | 8Honoring a fool is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot. |
| 9Like a thorn that falls into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of a fool. | 9A proverb in the mouth of a fool is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk. |
| 10Like an archer who wounds at random is he who hires a fool or passerby. | 10An employer who hires a fool or a bystander is like an archer who shoots at random. |
| 11As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. | 11As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness. |
| 12Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. | 12There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise. |
| 13The slacker says, “A lion is in the road! A fierce lion roams the public square!” | 13The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road! Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!” |
| 14As a door turns on its hinges, so the slacker turns on his bed. | 14As a door swings back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed. |
| 15The slacker buries his hand in the dish; it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth. | 15Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth. |
| 16The slacker is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly. | 16Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors. |
| 17Like one who grabs a dog by the ears is a passerby who meddles in a quarrel not his own. | 17Interfering in someone else’s argument is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears. |
| 18Like a madman shooting firebrands and deadly arrows, | 18Just as damaging as a madman shooting a deadly weapon |
| 19so is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!” | 19is someone who lies to a friend and then says, “I was only joking.” |
| 20Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, a conflict ceases. | 20Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops. |
| 21Like charcoal for embers and wood for fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. | 21A quarrelsome person starts fights as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood. |
| 22The words of a gossip are like choice morsels that go down into the inmost being. | 22Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart. |
| 23Like glaze covering an earthen vessel are burning lips and a wicked heart. | 23Smooth words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot. |
| 24A hateful man disguises himself with his speech, but he lays up deceit in his heart. | 24People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they’re deceiving you. |
| 25When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart. | 25They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them. Their hearts are full of many evils. |
| 26Though his hatred is concealed by deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. | 26While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, their wrongdoing will be exposed in public. |
| 27He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him. | 27If you set a trap for others, you will get caught in it yourself. If you roll a boulder down on others, it will crush you instead. |
| 28A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth causes ruin. | 28A lying tongue hates its victims, and flattering words cause ruin. |
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