Proverbs 26

Common English Bible

26 Like snow in the summer or rain at harvest,
    so honor isn’t appropriate for a fool.
² Like a darting sparrow, like a flying swallow,
    so an undeserved curse never arrives.
³ A whip for a horse, a bridle for a donkey,
    and a rod for the back of fools.
⁴ Don’t answer fools according to their folly,
    or you will become like them yourself.
⁵ Answer fools according to their folly,
    or they will deem themselves wise.
⁶ Sending messages with a fool
    is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking down violence.
⁷ As legs dangle from a disabled person,
    so does a proverb in the mouth of fools.
⁸ Like tying a stone in a sling,
    so is giving respect to a fool.
⁹ Like a thorny bush in the hand of a drunk,
    so is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
¹⁰ Like an archer who wounds someone randomly,
    so is one who hires a fool or a passerby.
¹¹ Like a dog that returns to its vomit,
    so a fool repeats foolish mistakes.
¹² Do you see people who consider themselves wise?
    There is more hope for a fool than for them.
¹³ A lazy person says, “There’s a lion in the path!
    A lion in the plazas!”
¹⁴ As a door turns on its hinge,
    so do lazy people in their beds.
¹⁵ Lazy people bury their hand into the bowl,
    too tired to return it to their mouth.
¹⁶ Lazy people think they are wiser
    than seven people who answer sensibly.

¹⁷     Like yanking the ears of a dog,
    so is one who passes by and gets involved in another person’s fight.
¹⁸ Like a crazy person shooting deadly flaming arrows
¹⁹     are those who deceive their neighbor and say, “Hey, I was only joking!”
²⁰ Without wood a fire goes out;
    without gossips, conflict calms down.
²¹ Like adding charcoal to embers or wood to fire,
    quarrelsome people kindle strife.
²² The words of gossips are like choice snacks;
    they go down to the inmost parts.
²³ Smooth^[a] lips and an evil heart
    are like silver coating on clay.
²⁴ Hateful people mislead with their lips,
    keeping their deception within.
²⁵ Though they speak graciously, don’t believe them,
    for seven horrible things are in their heart.
²⁶ They may cover their hatred with trickery,
    but their evil will be revealed in public.
²⁷ Those who dig a pit will fall in it;
    those who roll a stone will have it turn back on them.
²⁸ A lying tongue hates those it crushes;
    a flattering mouth causes destruction.