Proverbs 26:1-28 NLT

[1] Honor is no more associated with fools than snow with summer or rain with harvest. [2] Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim. [3] Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle, and a fool with a rod to his back! [4] Don't answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are. [5] Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation. [6] Trusting a fool to convey a message is like cutting off one's feet or drinking poison! [7] A proverb in the mouth of a fool is as useless as a paralyzed leg. [8] Honoring a fool is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot. [9] A proverb in the mouth of a fool is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk. [10] An employer who hires a fool or a bystander is like an archer who shoots at random. [11] As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness. [12] There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise. [13] The lazy person claims, "There's a lion on the road! Yes, I'm sure there's a lion out there!" [14] As a door swings back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed. [15] Lazy people take food in their hand but don't even lift it to their mouth. [16] Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors. [17] Interfering in someone else's argument is as foolish as yanking a dog's ears. [18] Just as damaging as a madman shooting a deadly weapon [19] is someone who lies to a friend and then says, "I was only joking." [20] Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops. [21] A quarrelsome person starts fights as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood. [22] Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one's heart. [23] Smooth words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot. [24] People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they're deceiving you. [25] They pretend to be kind, but don't believe them. Their hearts are full of many evils. [26] While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, their wrongdoing will be exposed in public. [27] If you set a trap for others, you will get caught in it yourself. If you roll a boulder down on others, it will crush you instead. [28] A lying tongue hates its victims, and flattering words cause ruin.