Jun 26, 2020
26 Honor is no more associated with
fools
than snow with summer or rain with
harvest.
2 Like a
fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,
an undeserved curse will not land on its intended
victim.
3 Guide a horse
with a whip, a donkey with a bridle,
and a fool with a rod to his
back!
4 Don’t answer
the foolish arguments of fools,
or you will become as foolish as they
are.
5 Be sure to
answer the foolish arguments of fools,
or they will become wise in their own
estimation.
6 Trusting a fool
to convey a message
is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking
poison!
7 A proverb in
the mouth of a fool
is as useless as a paralyzed
leg.
8 Honoring a
fool
is as foolish as tying a stone to a
slingshot.
9 A proverb in
the mouth of a fool
is like a thorny branch brandished by a
drunk.
10 An employer
who hires a fool or a bystander
is like an archer who shoots at
random.
11 As a dog
returns to its vomit,
so a fool repeats his
foolishness.
12 There is more
hope for fools
than for people who think they are
wise.
13 The lazy
person claims, “There’s a lion on the road!
Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out
there!”
14 As a door
swings back and forth on its hinges,
so the lazy person turns over in
bed.
15 Lazy people
take food in their hand
but don’t even lift it to their
mouth.
16 Lazy people
consider themselves smarter
than seven wise counselors.
17 Interfering
in someone else’s argument
is as foolish as yanking a dog’s
ears.
18 Just as
damaging
as a madman shooting a deadly
weapon
19 is someone who lies to a friend
and then says, “I was only
joking.”
20 Fire goes out
without wood,
and quarrels disappear when gossip
stops.
21 A quarrelsome
person starts fights
as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire
lights wood.
22 Rumors are
dainty morsels
that sink deep into one’s
heart.
23 Smooth[a] words
may hide a wicked heart,
just as a pretty glaze covers a clay
pot.
24 People may
cover their hatred with pleasant words,
but they’re deceiving you.
25 They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe
them.
Their hearts are full of many evils.[b]
26 While their hatred may be concealed by
trickery,
their wrongdoing will be exposed in
public.
27 If 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.
28 A lying
tongue hates its victims,
and flattering words cause
ruin.