[1] Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool. [2] Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest. [3] A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools! [4] Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. [5] Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes. [6] Sending a message by the hands of a fool is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison. [7] Like the useless legs of one who is lame is a proverb in the mouth of a fool. [8] Like tying a stone in a sling is the giving of honor to a fool. [9] Like a thornbush in a drunkard’s hand is a proverb in the mouth of a fool. [10] Like an archer who wounds at random is one who hires a fool or any passer-by. [11] As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly. [12] Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them. [13] A sluggard says, “There’s a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!” [14] As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.
