Proverbs 26:1-19 ▼

1 Like snow in summer and like rain in harvest, So glory is not fitting for a fool.

2 Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in flying, So a curse without cause does not come to pass.

3 A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the back of fools.

4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you yourself also be like him.

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

6 He cuts off his own feet and drinks violence Who sends words by the hand of a fool.

7 Like the legs which hang limp on the lame, So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

8 Like one who binds a stone in a sling, So is he who gives glory to a fool.

9 Like a thorn which goes up into the hand of a drunkard, So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

10 Like an archer who wounds everyone, So is he who hires a fool or who hires those who pass by.

11 Like a dog that returns to its vomit Is a fool who repeats his folly.

12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

13 The sluggard says, “There is a fierce lion in the road! A lion is among the streets!”

14 As the door turns on its hinges, So does the sluggard on his bed.

15 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; He is too weary to return it to his mouth.

16 The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who can respond with a discreet answer.

17 Like one who seizes a dog by the ears Is he who passes by and becomes passionate about strife not belonging to him.

18 Like a madman who shoots Firebrands, arrows, and death,

19 So is the man who deceives his neighbor, And says, “Am I not joking?”