Proverbs 26
26
All about Fools
1Like snow in summertime and rain at harvest time,
so honor is not right for a fool.
2Like a fluttering sparrow,
like a darting swallow,
so a hastily spoken curse does not come to rest.
3A whip is for the horse,
a bridle is for the donkey,
and a rod is for the backs of fools.
4Do not answer a fool with his own stupidity,
or you will be like him.
5Answer a fool with his own stupidity,
or he will think he is wise.
6Whoever uses a fool to send a message
cuts off his own feet and brings violence upon himself.
7 ⌞Like⌟ a lame person’s limp legs,
so is a proverb in the mouths of fools.
8Like tying a stone to a sling,
so is giving honor to a fool.
9 ⌞Like⌟ a thorn stuck in a drunk’s hand,
so is a proverb in the mouths of fools.
10 ⌞Like⌟ many people who destroy everything,
so is one who hires fools or drifters.
11As a dog goes back to its vomit,
⌞so⌟ a fool repeats his stupidity.
12Have you met a person who thinks he is wise?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
13A lazy person says,
“There’s a ferocious lion out on the road!
There’s a lion loose in the streets!”
14 ⌞As⌟ a door turns on its hinges,
so the lazy person turns on his bed.
15A lazy person puts his fork in his food.
He wears himself out as he brings it back to his mouth.
16A lazy person thinks he is wiser than seven people who give a sensible answer.
17 ⌞Like⌟ grabbing a dog by the ears,
⌞so⌟ is a bystander who gets involved in someone else’s quarrel.
18Like a madman who shoots flaming arrows, arrows, and death,
19so is the person who tricks his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”
20Without wood a fire goes out,
and without gossip a quarrel dies down.
21 ⌞As⌟ charcoal fuels burning coals and wood fuels fire,
so a quarrelsome person fuels a dispute.
22The words of a gossip are swallowed greedily,
and they go down into a person’s innermost being.
23 ⌞Like⌟ a clay pot covered with cheap silver,
⌞so⌟ is smooth talk that covers up an evil heart.
24Whoever is filled with hate disguises it with his speech,
but inside he holds on to deceit.
25When he talks charmingly, do not trust him
because of the seven disgusting things in his heart.
26His hatred is deceitfully hidden,
but his wickedness will be revealed to the community.
27Whoever digs a pit will fall into it.
Whoever rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.
28A lying tongue hates its victims,
and a flattering mouth causes ruin.
Currently Selected:
Proverbs 26: GW
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 26
26
1Honoring someone stupid is as inappropriate as snow in the summer or rain during harvest.
2A curse that isn't deserved won't land on the person, like a fluttering sparrow or a flitting swallow.
3Horses need a whip, donkeys need a bridle, and stupid people need a rod on their backs!
4Don't answer stupid people following their stupidity, or you'll become as bad as them.
5Answer stupid people following their stupidity, otherwise they'll think they're wise.#26:5. While this verse appears to contradict the previous one, there is a play on words here. In the first, “following their stupidity” means “agreeing with it.” In the second, the phrase means “as it deserves.”
6Trusting someone stupid to deliver a message is like cutting off your feet or drinking poison.
7A proverb spoken by someone stupid is as useless as a lame person's legs.
8Honoring someone stupid is as pointless as tying a stone into a sling.#26:8. For if the stone is tied in, the slingshot cannot function.
9A proverb spoken by someone stupid is as ridiculous as a thorn bush waved around by a drunk.
10Anyone who hires someone stupid or just a passer-by is like an archer wounding people by shooting arrows at random.#26:10. The Hebrew of this verse is unclear.
11Stupid people repeat their stupidity like a dog returning to its vomit.
12Have you seen a man who is wise in his own eyes? There's more hope for stupid people than for him!
13Lazy people are the ones who say, “There's a lion on the road—a lion running around the streets!”#26:13. In other words, they make excuses for not going out to work.
14A lazy person turns in bed like a door turns on its hinge.
15Lazy people put their hands in a dish, but are too tired to lift the food to their mouths.
16In their own eyes lazy people are wiser than many#26:16. In the text the number seven is given, symbolic of a large number, completion. This is used in a similar way in verse 25. sensible advisors.
17Interfering in someone else's quarrel is like grabbing a stray dog by the ears.
18You're like a crazy person firing off blazing arrows and killing people
19if you lie to your friend and then say, “I was only joking!”
20Without wood, the fire goes out; and without gossips, arguments stop.
21An argumentative person fires up quarrels like putting charcoal on hot embers or wood on a fire.
22Listening to gossip is like gulping down bites of your favorite food—they go deep down inside you.
23Smooth#26:23. Septuagint reading. talking with evil intent is like a shiny lead glaze on an earthenware pot.#26:23. The implication here is that like a fine finish given to a cheap pot, pleasant words can mask bad motives.
24People say nice things to you even though they hate you; deep down they're just lying to you.
25When people talk nicely to you, don't believe them—their minds are full of hate for you.
26Even though their hatred may be hidden by cunning tricks, their evil will be revealed to everyone.
27Those who dig pits to trap others will fall in themselves, and those who start boulders rolling will be crushed themselves.
28If you tell lies, you show you hate your victims; if you flatter people, you cause disaster.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com