New Living Translation

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