Proverbs 26:4-22

⁴Do not give to the foolish man a foolish answer, or you will be like him.

⁵Give a foolish man a foolish answer, or he will seem wise to himself.

⁶He who sends news by the hand of a foolish man is cutting off his feet and drinking in damage.

⁷The legs of one who has no power of walking are hanging loose; so is a wise saying in the mouth of the foolish.

⁸Giving honour to a foolish man is like attempting to keep a stone fixed in a cord.

⁹Like a thorn which goes up into the hand of a man overcome by drink, so is a wise saying in the mouth of a foolish man.

¹⁰Like an archer wounding all who go by, is a foolish man overcome by drink.

¹¹Like a dog going back to the food which he has not been able to keep down, is the foolish man doing his foolish acts over again.

¹²Have you seen a man who seems to himself to be wise? There is more hope for the foolish than for him.

¹³The hater of work says, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.

¹⁴A door is turned on its pillar, and the hater of work on his bed.

¹⁵The hater of work puts his hand deep into the basin: lifting it again to his mouth is a weariness to him.

¹⁶The hater of work seems to himself wiser than seven men who are able to give an answer with good sense.

¹⁷He who gets mixed up in a fight which is not his business, is like one who takes a dog by the ears while it is going by.

¹⁸As one who is off his head sends about flaming sticks and arrows of death,

¹⁹So is the man who gets the better of his neighbour by deceit, and says, Am I not doing so in sport?

²⁰Without wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no secret talk, argument is ended.

²¹Like breath on coals and wood on fire, so a man given to argument gets a fight started.

²²The words of one who says evil of his neighbour secretly are like sweet food, they go down into the inner parts of the stomach.