• 1 Like snow in summer and like rain in harvest, So glory is not fitting for a fool.
  • 2 Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in flying, So a curse without cause does not come to pass.
  • 3 A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the back of fools.
  • 4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you yourself also be like him.
  • 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.
  • 6 He cuts off his own feet and drinks violence Who sends words by the hand of a fool.
  • 7 Like the legs which hang limp on the lame, So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
  • 8 Like one who binds a stone in a sling, So is he who gives glory to a fool.
  • 9 Like a thorn which goes up into the hand of a drunkard, So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
  • 10 Like an archer who wounds everyone, So is he who hires a fool or who hires those who pass by.
  • 11 Like a dog that returns to its vomit Is a fool who repeats his folly.
  • 12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
  • 13 The sluggard says, “There is a fierce lion in the road! A lion is among the streets!”
  • 14 As the door turns on its hinges, So does the sluggard on his bed.
  • 15 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; He is too weary to return it to his mouth.
  • 16 The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who can respond with a discreet answer.
  • 17 Like one who seizes a dog by the ears Is he who passes by and becomes passionate about strife not belonging to him.
  • 18 Like a madman who shoots Firebrands, arrows, and death,
  • 19 So is the man who deceives his neighbor, And says, “Am I not joking?”
  • 20 With no wood the fire goes out, And where there is no whisperer, strife quiets down.
  • 21 Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, So is a contentious man to kindle strife.
  • 22 The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the stomach.
  • 23 Like an earthen vessel overlaid with silver dross Are fiery lips and an evil heart.
  • 24 He who hates disguises it with his lips, But he sets up deceit within himself.
  • 25 When he makes his voice gracious, do not believe him, For there are seven abominations in his heart.
  • 26 Though his hatred covers itself with guile, His evil will be revealed in the assembly.
  • 27 He who digs a pit will fall into it, And he who rolls a stone, it will turn back on him.
  • 28 A lying tongue hates those it crushes, And a flattering mouth works ruin.