Proverbs 26:1-16 ▼

1 As snow in summer and rain in harvest, So honor is not fitting for a fool.

2 Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, So a curse without cause shall not alight.

3 A whip for the horse, A bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the fool’s back.

4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him.

5 Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.

6 He who sends a message by the hand of a fool Cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

7 Like the legs of the lame that hang limp Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

8 Like one who binds a stone in a sling Is he who gives honor to a fool.

9 Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkard Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

10 The great God who formed everything Gives the fool his hire and the transgressor his wages.

11 As a dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly.

12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

13 The lazy man says, “There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion is in the streets!”

14 As a door turns on its hinges, So does the lazy man on his bed.

15 The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl; It wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.

16 The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who can answer sensibly.