Proverbs 26
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1Honor is no more associated with fools than snow with summer or rain with harvest.1Like snow in summer and rain at harvest, honor does not befit a fool.
2Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.2Like a fluttering sparrow or darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.
3Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle, and a fool with a rod to his back!3A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!
4Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are.4Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be like him.
5Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation.5Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he become wise in his own eyes.
6Trusting a fool to convey a message is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison!6Like cutting off one’s own feet or drinking violence is the sending of a message by the hand of a fool.
7A proverb in the mouth of a fool is as useless as a paralyzed leg.7Like lame legs hanging limp is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
8Honoring a fool is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot.8Like binding a stone into a sling is the giving of honor to a fool.
9A proverb in the mouth of a fool is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk.9Like a thorn that falls into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
10An employer who hires a fool or a bystander is like an archer who shoots at random.10Like an archer who wounds at random is he who hires a fool or passerby.
11As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.11As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.
12There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise.12Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
13The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road! Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!”13The slacker says, “A lion is in the road! A fierce lion roams the public square!”
14As a door swings back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed.14As a door turns on its hinges, so the slacker turns on his bed.
15Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.15The slacker buries his hand in the dish; it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.
16Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors.16The slacker is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.
17Interfering in someone else’s argument is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears.17Like one who grabs a dog by the ears is a passerby who meddles in a quarrel not his own.
18Just as damaging as a madman shooting a deadly weapon18Like a madman shooting firebrands and deadly arrows,
19is someone who lies to a friend and then says, “I was only joking.”19so is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”
20Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.20Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, a conflict ceases.
21A quarrelsome person starts fights as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.21Like charcoal for embers and wood for fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
22Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart.22The words of a gossip are like choice morsels that go down into the inmost being.
23Smooth words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.23Like glaze covering an earthen vessel are burning lips and a wicked heart.
24People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they’re deceiving you.24A hateful man disguises himself with his speech, but he lays up deceit in his heart.
25They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them. Their hearts are full of many evils.25When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart.
26While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.26Though his hatred is concealed by deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
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.27He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.
28A lying tongue hates its victims, and flattering words cause ruin.28A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.The Berean Bible (Berean Study Bible (BSB) © 2016, 2018 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved.
Proverbs 25
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