Proverbs 26
1 Like snow in summer and rain at harvest, so honor does not suit a fool.
2 Like a bird that flees and a swallow that flies, so an undeserved curse does not reach its target.
3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools.
4 Do not answer a fool according to his foolishness, or you too will become like him.
5 Answer a fool according to his foolishness, or he will think he is wise in his own eyes.
6 He cuts off his own feet and drinks violence who sends a message by the hand of a fool.
7 A proverb in the mouth of fools is like legs that hang limp on a lame person.
8 Like tying a stone to a sling, so is giving honor to a fool.
9 A proverb in the mouth of fools is like a thorn that goes into a drunkard’s hand.
10 A great archer wounds everyone; so does one who hires a fool or hires passersby.
11 Like a dog that returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.
12 Have you seen someone wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
13 The lazy person says, “There is a fierce lion on the road! A lion in the open squares!”
14 A door turns on its hinge, and a lazy person turns on his bed.
15 The lazy person buries his hand in the dish; he is too tired to bring it back to his mouth.
16 The lazy person is wiser in his own eyes than seven people who answer sensibly.
17 Like someone who grabs a dog by the ears is a passerby who meddles in a quarrel that is not his.
18 Like a madman who hurls firebrands, arrows, and death,
19 so is someone who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking.”
20 Without wood, the fire goes out; without a gossip, a quarrel dies down.
21 Charcoal for embers and wood for a fire: so is a quarrelsome person for stirring up strife.
22 A gossip’s words are like tasty morsels; they go down to the depths of the belly.
23 Like silver dross coating a clay pot are ardent lips with an evil heart.
24 An enemy disguises himself with his lips, but inside he harbors deceit.
25 When he makes his voice charming, do not believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart.
26 Hatred may hide behind a disguise, but his wickedness will be revealed in the assembly.
27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; whoever rolls a stone, it will roll back on him.
28 A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a smooth mouth brings ruin.
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