Proverbs 26

1 Like snow in summer and rain when the grain is being cut, so honour is not natural for the foolish.

As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, So honour [is] not comely for a fool.

2 As the sparrow in her wandering and the swallow in her flight, so the curse does not come without a cause.

As a bird by wandering, as a swallow by flying, So reviling without cause doth not come.

3 A whip for the horse, a mouth-bit for the ass, and a rod for the back of the foolish.

A whip is for a horse, a bridle for an ass, And a rod for the back of fools.

4 Do not give to the foolish man a foolish answer, or you will be like him.

Answer not a fool according to his folly, Lest thou be like to him — even thou.

5 Give a foolish man a foolish answer, or he will seem wise to himself.

Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.

6 He who sends news by the hand of a foolish man is cutting off his feet and drinking in damage.

He is cutting off feet, he is drinking injury, Who is sending things by the hand of a fool.

7 The legs of one who has no power of walking are hanging loose; so is a wise saying in the mouth of the foolish.

Weak have been the two legs of the lame, And a parable in the mouth of fools.

8 Giving honour to a foolish man is like attempting to keep a stone fixed in a cord.

As one who is binding a stone in a sling, So [is] he who is giving honour to a fool.

9 Like a thorn which goes up into the hand of a man overcome by drink, so is a wise saying in the mouth of a foolish man.

A thorn hath gone up into the hand of a drunkard, And a parable in the mouth of fools.

10 Like an archer wounding all who go by, is a foolish man overcome by drink.

Great [is] the Former of all, And He is rewarding a fool, And is rewarding transgressors.

11 Like a dog going back to the food which he has not been able to keep down, is the foolish man doing his foolish acts over again.

As a dog hath returned to its vomit, A fool is repeating his folly.

12 Have you seen a man who seems to himself to be wise? There is more hope for the foolish than for him.

Thou hast seen a man wise in his own eyes, More hope of a fool than of him!

13 The hater of work says, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.

The slothful hath said, 'A lion [is] in the way, A lion [is] in the broad places.'

14 A door is turned on its pillar, and the hater of work on his bed.

The door turneth round on its hinge, And the slothful on his bed.

15 The hater of work puts his hand deep into the basin: lifting it again to his mouth is a weariness to him.

The slothful hath hid his hand in a dish, He is weary of bringing it back to his mouth.

16 The hater of work seems to himself wiser than seven men who are able to give an answer with good sense.

Wiser [is] the slothful in his own eyes, Than seven [men] returning a reason.

17 He who gets mixed up in a fight which is not his business, is like one who takes a dog by the ears while it is going by.

Laying hold on the ears of a dog, [Is] a passer-by making himself wrath for strife not his own.

18 As one who is off his head sends about flaming sticks and arrows of death,

As [one] pretending to be feeble, Who is casting sparks, arrows, and death,

19 So is the man who gets the better of his neighbour by deceit, and says, Am I not doing so in sport?

So hath a man deceived his neighbour, And hath said, 'Am not I playing?'

20 Without wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no secret talk, argument is ended.

Without wood is fire going out, And without a tale-bearer, contention ceaseth,

21 Like breath on coals and wood on fire, so a man given to argument gets a fight started.

Coal to burning coals, and wood to fire, And a man of contentions to kindle strife.

22 The words of one who says evil of his neighbour secretly are like sweet food, they go down into the inner parts of the stomach.

The words of a tale-bearer [are] as self-inflicted wounds, And they have gone down [to] the inner parts of the heart.

23 Smooth lips and an evil heart are like a vessel of earth plated with silver waste.

Silver of dross spread over potsherd, [Are] burning lips and an evil heart.

24 With his lips the hater makes things seem what they are not, but deceit is stored up inside him;

By his lips doth a hater dissemble, And in his heart he placeth deceit,

25 When he says fair words, have no belief in him; for in his heart are seven evils:

When his voice is gracious trust not in him, For seven abominations [are] in his heart.

26 Though his hate is covered with deceit, his sin will be seen openly before the meeting of the people.

Hatred is covered by deceit, Revealed is its wickedness in an assembly.

27 He who makes a hole in the earth will himself go falling into it: and on him by whom a stone is rolled the stone will come back again.

Whoso is digging a pit falleth into it, And the roller of a stone, to him it turneth.

28 A false tongue has hate for those who have clean hearts, and a smooth mouth is a cause of falling.

A lying tongue hateth its bruised ones, And a flattering mouth worketh an overthrow!