Proverbs 26
26
1Honor is no more associated with fools
than snow with summer or rain with harvest.
2Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,
an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.
3Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle,
and a fool with a rod to his back!
4Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools,
or you will become as foolish as they are.
5Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools,
or they will become wise in their own estimation.
6Trusting a fool to convey a message
is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison!
7A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is as useless as a paralyzed leg.
8Honoring a fool
is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot.
9A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk.
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 foolishness.
12There is more hope for fools
than for people who think they are wise.
13The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road!
Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!”
14As a door swings back and forth on its hinges,
so the lazy person turns over in bed.
15Lazy people take food in their hand
but don’t even lift it to their mouth.
16Lazy people consider themselves smarter
than seven wise counselors.
17Interfering in someone else’s argument
is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears.
18Just as damaging
as a madman shooting a deadly weapon
19is someone who lies to a friend
and then says, “I was only joking.”
20Fire goes out without wood,
and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.
21A quarrelsome person starts fights
as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.
22Rumors are dainty morsels
that sink deep into one’s heart.
23Smooth#26:23 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads Burning. words may hide a wicked heart,
just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.
24People may cover their hatred with pleasant words,
but they’re deceiving you.
25They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them.
Their hearts are full of many evils.#26:25 Hebrew seven evils.
26While their hatred may be concealed by trickery,
their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.
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 its victims,
and flattering words cause ruin.
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Proverbs 26: NLT
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
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Proverbs 26
26
Wise Sayings About Fools
1Just as snow should not fall in summer, nor rain at harvest time, so people should not honor a fool.
2Don’t worry when someone curses you for no reason. Nothing bad will happen. Such words are like birds that fly past and never stop.
3You have to whip a horse, you have to put a bridle on a mule, and you have to beat a fool.
4-5There is no good way to answer fools when they say something stupid. If you answer them, then you, too, will look like a fool. If you don’t answer them, they will think they are smart.
6Never let a fool carry your message. If you do, it will be like cutting off your own feet. You are only asking for trouble.
7A fool trying to say something wise is like a crippled person trying to walk.
8Showing honor to a fool is as bad as tying a rock in a sling.
9A fool trying to say something wise is like a drunk trying to pick a thorn out of his hand.
10Hiring a fool or a stranger who is just passing by is dangerous—you don’t know who might get hurt.
11Like a dog that returns to its vomit, a fool does the same foolish things again and again.
12People who think they are wise when they are not are worse than fools.
13A person who is lazy and wants to stay home says, “What if there is a lion out there? Really, there might be a lion in the street!”
14Like a door on its hinges, a lazy man turns back and forth on his bed.
15Lazy people are too lazy to lift the food from their plate to their mouth.
16Lazy people think they are seven times smarter than the people who really have good sense.
17To step between two people arguing is as foolish as going out into the street and grabbing a stray dog by the ears.
18-19Anyone who would trick someone and then say, “I was only joking” is like a fool who shoots flaming arrows into the air and accidentally kills someone.
20Without wood, a fire goes out. Without gossip, arguments stop.
21Charcoal keeps the coals glowing, wood keeps the fire burning, and troublemakers keep arguments alive.
22People love to hear gossip. It is like tasty food on its way to the stomach.
23Good words that hide an evil heart are like silver paint over a cheap, clay pot. 24Evil people say things to make themselves look good, but they keep their evil plans a secret. 25What they say sounds good, but don’t trust them. They are full of evil ideas. 26They hide their evil plans with nice words, but in the end, everyone will see the evil they do.
27Whoever digs a pit can fall into it. Whoever rolls a large stone can be crushed by it.
28Liars hate the people they hurt, and false praise can hurt people.
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