Proverbs 26
26
1Like snow in summer, like rain in harvest,
honor for a fool is out of place.#There is no fit (“out of place”) between weather and agricultural season.
2Like the sparrow in its flitting, like the swallow in its flight,
a curse uncalled-for never lands.#The point is the similarity of actions: a hovering bird that never lands, a groundless curse that never “lands.” It hangs in the air posing no threat to anyone.
3The whip for the horse, the bridle for the ass,
and the rod for the back of fools.#Prv 19:29; Sir 33:25.
4#There is no contradiction between these two proverbs. In their answers, the wise must protect their own interests against fools. Or perhaps the juxtaposition of the two proverbs suggests that no single proverb can resolve every problem in life. Do not answer fools according to their folly,
lest you too become like them.
5Answer fools according to their folly,
lest they become wise in their own eyes.
6Those who send messages by a fool
cut off their feet; they drink down violence.
7#Fools either abuse or are unable to use whatever knowledge they have. A thorn: a proverb is “words spoken at the proper time” (25:11). Fools have no sense of the right time; their statements are like thorns that fasten on clothing randomly. A proverb in the mouth of a fool
hangs limp, like crippled legs.
8Giving honor to a fool
is like entangling a stone in the sling.
9A thorn stuck in the hand of a drunkard
is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
10An archer wounding all who pass by
is anyone who hires a drunken fool.
11As dogs return to their vomit,
so fools repeat their folly.#2 Pt 2:22.
12You see those who are wise in their own eyes?
There is more hope for fools than for them.
13#Each verse mentions the sluggard, whom Proverbs regards with derision. The criticism is not against low energy but failure to act and take responsibility. Proverbs’ ideal is the active person who uses heart, lips, hands, feet to keep to the good path. The verses are examples of the sardonic humor of the book. The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the street,
a lion in the middle of the square!”#Prv 22:13.
14The door turns on its hinges
and sluggards, on their beds.
15The sluggard buries a hand in the dish,
too weary to lift it to the mouth.#Prv 19:24.
16In their own eyes sluggards are wiser
than seven who answer with good judgment.
17Whoever meddles in the quarrel of another
is one who grabs a passing dog by the ears.
18Like a crazed archer
scattering firebrands and deadly arrows,
19Such are those who deceive their neighbor,
and then say, “I was only joking.”
20#The three proverbs have a common theme—the destructive power of slanderous words. Certain words are repeated: wood and fire, talebearer. Without wood the fire dies out;
without a talebearer strife subsides.
21Charcoal for coals, wood for fire—
such are the quarrelsome, enkindling strife.#Prv 15:18; 29:22.
22The words of a talebearer are like dainty morsels:
they sink into one’s inmost being.#Malicious gossip is compared to delicious food that is swallowed and lodges in the deepest recesses of one’s body. Negative comments are seldom forgotten. Prv 18:8 is a duplicate. #Prv 18:8.
23Like a glazed finish on earthenware
are smooth lips and a wicked heart.#Heart = what is within, and lips (words) = what is expressed, are compared to an earthenware jar covered with glaze.
24With their lips enemies pretend,
but inwardly they maintain deceit;
25When they speak graciously, do not trust them,#Sir 12:10; 27:33.
for seven abominations#Seven abominations: many evil intentions. are in their hearts.
26Hatred can be concealed by pretense,
but malice will be revealed in the assembly.#Hate may be concealed for a time, but it will eventually issue in a deed and become known in the public assembly. There is a play on words: the consonants of the word “hatred” (ś’n) are literally concealed in the word “pretense” (mś’n).
27Whoever digs a pit falls into it;
and a stone comes back upon the one who rolls it.#Eccl 10:8; Sir 27:25–26.
28The lying tongue is its owner’s enemy,
and the flattering mouth works ruin.
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Proverbs 26: NABRE
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
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.
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Good News Bible with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. 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.