Proverbs, 26

¹ Like snow in summer and like rain in harvesttime, so glory is not fitting for a stupid one.

² Just as a bird has cause for fleeing [and] just as a swallow for flying, so a malediction itself does not come without real cause.

³ A whip is for the horse, a bridle is for the ass, and the rod is for the back of stupid people.

⁴ Do not answer anyone stupid according to his foolishness, that you yourself also may not become equal to him.

⁵ Answer someone stupid according to his foolishness, that he may not become someone wise in his own eyes.

⁶ As one that is mutilating [his] feet, as one that is drinking mere violence, is he that is thrusting matters into the hand of someone stupid.

⁷ Have the legs of the lame one drawn up water? Then there is a proverb in the mouth of stupid people.

⁸ Like one shutting up a stone in a heap of stones, so is the one giving glory to a mere stupid one.

⁹ As a thorny weed has come up into the hand of a drunkard, so a proverb into the mouth of stupid people.

¹⁰ As an archer piercing everything is the one hiring someone stupid or the one hiring passersby.

¹¹ Just like a dog returning to its vomit, the stupid one is repeating his foolishness.

¹² Have you seen a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for the stupid one than for him.

¹³ The lazy one has said: “There is a young lion in the way, a lion in among the public squares.”

¹⁴ A door keeps turning upon its pivot, and the lazy one upon his couch.

¹⁵ The lazy one has hidden his hand in the banquet bowl; he has become too weary to bring it back to his mouth.

¹⁶ The lazy one is wiser in his own eyes than seven giving a sensible reply.

¹⁷ As one grabbing hold of the ears of a dog is anyone passing by that is becoming furious at the quarrel that is not his.

¹⁸ Just like someone mad that is shooting fiery missiles, arrows and death,

¹⁹ so is the man that has tricked his fellowman and has said: “Was I not having fun?”

²⁰ Where there is no wood the fire goes out, and where there is no slanderer contention grows still.

²¹ As charcoal for the embers and wood for the fire, so is a contentious man for causing a quarrel to glow.

²² The words of a slanderer are like things to be swallowed greedily, which do go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

²³ As a silver glazing overlaid upon a fragment of earthenware are fervent lips along with a bad heart.

²⁴ With his lips the hater makes himself unrecognizable, but inside of him he puts deception.

²⁵ Although he makes his voice gracious, do not believe in him, for there are seven detestable things in his heart.

²⁶ Hatred is covered over by deceit. His badness will be uncovered in the congregation.

²⁷ He that is excavating a pit will fall into the same, and he that is rolling away a stone—back to him it will return.

²⁸ A tongue that is false hates the one crushed by it, and a flattering mouth^*1 causes an overthrow.