Proverbs 26
26
1Like snow in the summer or rain at harvest,
so honor isn’t appropriate for a fool.
2Like a darting sparrow, like a flying swallow,
so an undeserved curse never arrives.
3A whip for a horse, a bridle for a donkey,
and a rod for the back of fools.
4Don’t answer fools according to their folly,
or you will become like them yourself.
5Answer fools according to their folly,
or they will deem themselves wise.
6Sending messages with a fool
is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking down violence.
7As legs dangle from a disabled person,
so does a proverb in the mouth of fools.
8Like tying a stone in a sling,
so is giving respect to a fool.
9Like a thorny bush in the hand of a drunk,
so is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
10Like an archer who wounds someone randomly,
so is one who hires a fool or a passerby.
11Like a dog that returns to its vomit,
so a fool repeats foolish mistakes.
12Do you see people who consider themselves wise?
There is more hope for a fool than for them.
13A lazy person says, “There’s a lion in the path!
A lion in the plazas!”
14As a door turns on its hinge,
so do lazy people in their beds.
15Lazy people bury their hand into the bowl,
too tired to return it to their mouth.
16Lazy people think they are wiser
than seven people who answer sensibly.
17Like yanking the ears of a dog,
so is one who passes by and gets involved in another person’s fight.
18Like a crazy person shooting deadly flaming arrows
19are those who deceive their neighbor and say, “Hey, I was only joking!”
20Without wood a fire goes out;
without gossips, conflict calms down.
21Like adding charcoal to embers or wood to fire,
quarrelsome people kindle strife.
22The words of gossips are like choice snacks;
they go down to the inmost parts.
23Smooth#26.23 LXX; Heb uncertain lips and an evil heart
are like silver coating on clay.
24Hateful people mislead with their lips,
keeping their deception within.
25Though they speak graciously, don’t believe them,
for seven horrible things are in their heart.
26They may cover their hatred with trickery,
but their evil will be revealed in public.
27Those who dig a pit will fall in it;
those who roll a stone will have it turn back on them.
28A lying tongue hates those it crushes;
a flattering mouth causes destruction.
Currently Selected:
Proverbs 26: CEB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 26
26
1Praise for a fool is out of place, like snow in summer or rain at harvest time.
2Curses cannot hurt you unless you deserve them. They are like birds that fly by and never settle.
3You have to whip a horse, you have to bridle a donkey, and you have to beat a fool.
4If you answer a silly question, you are just as silly as the person who asked it.
5Give a silly answer to a silly question, and the one who asked it will realize that he's not as clever as he thinks.
6If you let a fool deliver a message, you might as well cut off your own feet; you are asking for trouble.
7A fool can use a proverb about as well as crippled people can use their legs.
8Praising someone who is stupid makes as much sense as tying a stone in a sling.
9A fool quoting a wise saying reminds you of a drunk trying to pick a thorn out of his hand.
10An employer who hires any fool that comes along is only hurting everybody concerned.#26.10 Verse 10 in Hebrew is unclear.
11A fool doing some stupid thing a second time is like a dog going back to its vomit.
12The most stupid fool is better off than someone who thinks he is wise when he is not.
13Why don't lazy people ever get out of the house? What are they afraid of? Lions?
14Lazy people turn over in bed. They get no farther than a door swinging on its hinges.
15Some people are too lazy to put food in their own mouths.
16A lazy person will think he is more intelligent than seven people who can give good reasons for their opinions.
17Getting involved in an argument that is none of your business is like going down the street and grabbing a dog by the ears.
18-19Someone who misleads someone else and then claims that he was only joking is like a mad person playing with a deadly weapon.
20Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, quarrelling stops.
21Charcoal keeps the embers glowing, wood keeps the fire burning, and troublemakers keep arguments alive.
22Gossip is so tasty! How we love to swallow it!
23Insincere#26.23 One ancient translation Insincere; Hebrew Burning. talk that hides what you are really thinking is like a fine glaze#26.23 Probable text fine glaze; Hebrew unrefined silver. on a cheap clay pot.
24A hypocrite hides hatred behind flattering words. 25They may sound fine, but don't believe him, because his heart is filled to the brim with hate. 26He may disguise his hatred, but everyone will see the evil things he does.
27People who set traps for others get caught themselves. People who start landslides get crushed.
28You have to hate someone to want to hurt him with lies. Insincere talk brings nothing but ruin.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.