Proverbs 26:5-12

⁵Answer thou (to) a fool after his folly, lest he seem to himself to be wise (or lest he thinketh himself to be wise).

⁶(As) An halting man in feet, and drinking wickedness, that is, drink harmful to himself, (is) he that sendeth words by a fond messenger. (Like a person who is lame, and like someone who drinketh a drink that is harmful to himself, is he who sendeth words by a foolish messenger.)

⁷As an halting man hath fair legs in vain; so a parable is unseemly in the mouth of fools.

⁸As he that sendeth a stone into the broad place of the sling; so he that giveth honour to an unwise man. (Like he who sendeth a stone into the broad place of a sling, is he who giveth honour to an unwise person.)

⁹As if a thorn groweth in the hand of a drunken man; so is a parable in the mouth of fools. (Like a thorn that groweth in the hand of a drunk, is a parable in the mouth of a fool.)

¹⁰Doom determineth causes; and he that setteth silence to a fool, assuageth ires. (Judgement decideth a person’s case; and he who telleth a fool to be silent, lesseneth anger.)

¹¹As a dog that turneth again to his spewing or As an hound that turneth again to his vomit; so is an unprudent man, that rehearseth his folly. (Like a dog that returneth to his vomit, is an imprudent person, who repeateth his own foolishness.)

¹²Thou hast seen a man seem wise to himself; an unknowing man shall have hope more than he. (Thou hast seen a person who taketh himself to be wise; but a person without knowledge, yea, a fool, shall have more hope than him.)