New Living Translation | International Standard Version |
1Honor is no more associated with fools than snow with summer or rain with harvest. | 1Like snowfall in summer or rain at harvest time, so honor is inappropriate for a fool. |
2Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim. | 2Like a fluttering sparrow or a swallow in flight, a curse without cause will not alight. |
3Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle, and a fool with a rod to his back! | 3A whip is for the horses, a bridle is for the donkey, a rod is for the back of fools. |
4Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are. | 4Don't answer a fool according to his foolishness, or you will be just like him. |
5Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation. | 5Answer a fool according to his foolishness, or he will think himself to be wise. |
6Trusting a fool to convey a message is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison! | 6Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence. |
7A proverb in the mouth of a fool is as useless as a paralyzed leg. | 7Useless legs to the lame— that's what a proverb quoted by a fool is. |
8Honoring a fool is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot. | 8Tying a stone to a sling— that's what giving honor to a fool is. |
9A proverb in the mouth of a fool is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk. | 9A thorn in the hand of a drunkard— that's what a proverb quoted by a fool is. |
10An employer who hires a fool or a bystander is like an archer who shoots at random. | 10An archer who shoots at anyone— is like someone who hires a fool or anyone who passes by. |
11As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness. | 11A dog that returns to its vomit is like a fool who reverts to his folly. |
12There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise. | 12Do you see a man who is wise in his own opinion? There's more hope for a fool than for him. |
13The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road! Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!” | 13The lazy person claims, "There is a lion in the road! There's a lion in the streets!" |
14As a door swings back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed. | 14The door turns on its hinges— as does the lazy person on his bed. |
15Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth. | 15The lazy person buries his hand in the dish, but he's too tired to bring it to his mouth again. |
16Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors. | 16The lazy person is wiser in his own opinion than seven men who can give an appropriate response. |
17Interfering in someone else’s argument is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears. | 17Picking up a dog by the ears— that's what someone is like who meddles in another's fight. |
18Just as damaging as a madman shooting a deadly weapon | 18Like the maniac who shoots fiery darts and deadly arrows— |
19is someone who lies to a friend and then says, “I was only joking.” | 19that's what someone is like who lies to his neighbor and then says, "I was joking, wasn't I?" |
20Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops. | 20Without wood, the fire goes out. Without a gossip, contention stops. |
21A quarrelsome person starts fights as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood. | 21Charcoal is to hot coals as wood is to fire; so also a quarrelsome man fuels strife. |
22Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart. | 22The words of a gossip are like delicate morsels; they sink down deep within. |
23Smooth words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot. | 23A clay vessel plated with a thin veneer of silver— that's what smooth lips with a wicked heart are. |
24People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they’re deceiving you. | 24Someone who hates hides behind his words, harboring deceit within himself. |
25They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them. Their hearts are full of many evils. | 25Though he speaks graciously, don't believe him, for there are seven detestable things in his heart. |
26While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, their wrongdoing will be exposed in public. | 26Though malice disguises itself with deception, its evil will be exposed publicly. |
27If 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. | 27Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and the stone will come back on whoever starts it rolling. |
28A lying tongue hates its victims, and flattering words cause ruin. | 28A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth causes ruin. |
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
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