ProverbsChapter 26

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¹Snow does not fit summer, and rain does not fit harvest.
In the same way, honor does not fit a fool. ²A curse that is not deserved does not land.
It is like a sparrow that flutters or a swallow that darts away. ³A whip is for the horse, and a bridle is for the donkey.
A rod is for the backs of fools! ⁴Do not answer a fool in the same foolish way he talks.
If you do, you will be like him. ⁵Answer a fool as his foolishness deserves.
If you don't, he will think he is wise. ⁶Sending a message by a fool
is like cutting off your own feet or drinking violence. ⁷A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is like weak legs that hang limp. ⁸Giving honor to a fool
is like tying a stone into a sling. ⁹A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is like a thorn that sticks into the hand of a drunk. ¹⁰Whoever hires a fool or someone passing by
is like an archer who shoots and wounds anyone. ¹¹A dog goes back to its vomit.
In the same way, a fool does his foolish things again. ¹²Do you see a man who thinks he is wise?
There is more hope for a fool than for him. ¹³The lazy man says, "There's a lion in the road!
A fierce lion is loose in the town square!" ¹⁴A door turns on its hinges.
In the same way, the lazy man turns over in his bed. ¹⁵The lazy man sticks his hand in the dish.
It tires him out to lift it back to his mouth. ¹⁶The lazy man thinks he is wiser
than seven men who give sensible answers. ¹⁷Someone passing by who gets mixed up in someone else's fight
is like a person who grabs a dog by the ears. ¹⁸Like a madman shooting flaming arrows and deadly arrows, ¹⁹so is the man who tricks his neighbor and says,
"I was only joking!" ²⁰Without wood, a fire goes out.
Without gossip, a fight stops. ²¹Charcoal keeps coals burning, and wood keeps a fire going.
In the same way, a man who loves to argue stirs up fights. ²²The words of a gossip are like tasty bites of food.
They go down deep inside a person. ²³Burning lips with a wicked heart
are like shiny glaze covering a clay pot. ²⁴A man full of hate hides it with his words.
But he stores up lies in his heart. ²⁵When he speaks kindly, do not believe him,
because seven hateful things fill his heart. ²⁶His hate may be hidden by lies.
But his evil will be shown in front of everyone. ²⁷Whoever digs a pit will fall into it.
Whoever rolls a stone will have it roll back on him. ²⁸A lying tongue hates the people it hurts.
A mouth that flatters brings ruin.