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 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
so honor is not fitting for a fool.
² Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
a curse that is causeless does not alight.
³ A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
and a rod for the back of fools.
⁴ Answer not a fool according to his folly,
lest you be like him yourself.
⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly,
lest he be wise in his own eyes.
⁶ Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool
cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.
⁷ Like a lame man's legs, which hang useless,
is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
⁸ Like one who binds the stone in the sling
is one who gives honor to a fool.
⁹ Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard
is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
¹⁰ Like an archer who wounds everyone
is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.^[a]
11 Like a dog that returns to his vomit
is a fool who repeats his folly.
¹² Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
¹³ The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!
There is a lion in the streets!”
¹⁴ As a door turns on its hinges,
so does a sluggard on his bed.
¹⁵ The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.
¹⁶ The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
than seven men who can answer sensibly.
¹⁷ Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own
is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.
¹⁸ Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death
¹⁹ is the man who deceives his neighbor
and says, “I am only joking!”
²⁰ For lack of wood the fire goes out,
and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
²¹ As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
²² The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.
²³ Like the glaze^[b] covering an earthen vessel
are fervent lips with an evil heart.
²⁴ Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips
and harbors deceit in his heart;
²⁵ when he speaks graciously, believe him not,
for there are seven abominations in his heart;
²⁶ though his hatred be covered with deception,
his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
²⁷ Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.
²⁸ A lying tongue hates its victims,
and a flattering mouth works ruin.

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 26:10 Or hires a fool or passersby
2. Proverbs 26:23 By revocalization; Hebrew silver of dross

Cross references:

1. Proverbs 26:1 : [1 Sam. 12:17]
2. Proverbs 26:1 : [ver. 8]
3. Proverbs 26:1 : ch. 17:7; 19:10
4. Proverbs 26:2 : ch. 27:8; Ps. 84:3
5. Proverbs 26:2 : [Num. 23:8; Deut. 23:5; 2 Sam. 16:12]
6. Proverbs 26:3 : [Ps. 32:9]
7. Proverbs 26:3 : See ch. 19:29
8. Proverbs 26:4 : [2 Sam. 16:11; 2 Kgs. 18:36; Luke 23:9]
9. Proverbs 26:5 : See Matt. 16:1-4; 21:24-27
10. Proverbs 26:5 : ch. 28:11; [Rom. 12:16]
11. Proverbs 26:6 : [ch. 13:2; Job 15:16]
12. Proverbs 26:8 : [ver. 1]
13. Proverbs 26:9 : [ch. 23:35]
14. Proverbs 26:11 : Cited 2 Pet. 2:22
15. Proverbs 26:11 : [Ex. 8:15]
16. Proverbs 26:12 : ch. 28:11; [Rom. 12:16]
17. Proverbs 26:12 : ch. 29:20
18. Proverbs 26:13 : ch. 22:13
19. Proverbs 26:15 : ch. 19:24
20. Proverbs 26:16 : [See ver. 12 above]; ch. 28:11; [Rom. 12:16]
21. Proverbs 26:16 : [ver. 25; ch. 6:16]; See Job 5:19
22. Proverbs 26:18 : [Isa. 50:11]
23. Proverbs 26:20 : ch. 16:28
24. Proverbs 26:20 : ch. 22:10
25. Proverbs 26:21 : See ch. 15:18
26. Proverbs 26:22 : ch. 18:8
27. Proverbs 26:22 : [See ver. 20 above]; ch. 16:28
28. Proverbs 26:23 : [Matt. 23:27; Luke 11:39]
29. Proverbs 26:23 : See ch. 25:4
30. Proverbs 26:25 : See Ps. 28:3
31. Proverbs 26:25 : [ver. 16]
32. Proverbs 26:27 : [ch. 28:10]; See Ps. 7:15