Proverbs 26:1-11

New International Version - UK

26 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
    honour is not fitting for a fool.
² Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,
    an undeserved curse does not come to rest.
³ A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
    and a rod for the backs of fools!
⁴ Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
    or you yourself will be just like him.
⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly,
    or he will be wise in his own eyes.
⁶ Sending a message by the hands of a fool
    is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison.
⁷ Like the useless legs of one who is lame
    is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
⁸ Like tying a stone in a sling
    is the giving of honour to a fool.
⁹ Like a thorn-bush in a drunkard’s hand
    is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
¹⁰ Like an archer who wounds at random
    is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.
¹¹ As a dog returns to its vomit,
    so fools repeat their folly.