The Bible in Basic English BBE
Good News Translation GNT
1 Like snow in summer and rain when the grain is being cut, so honour is not natural for the foolish.
1
Praise for a fool is out of place, like snow in summer or rain at harvest time.
2 As the sparrow in her wandering and the swallow in her flight, so the curse does not come without a cause.
2
Curses cannot hurt you unless you deserve them. They are like birds that fly by and never light.
3 A whip for the horse, a mouth-bit for the ass, and a rod for the back of the foolish.
3
You have to whip a horse, you have to bridle a donkey, and you have to beat a fool.
4 Do not give to the foolish man a foolish answer, or you will be like him.
4
If you answer a silly question, you are just as silly as the person who asked it.
5 Give a foolish man a foolish answer, or he will seem wise to himself.
5
Give a silly answer to a silly question, and the one who asked it will realize that he's not as smart as he thinks.
6 He who sends news by the hand of a foolish man is cutting off his feet and drinking in damage.
6
If you let a fool deliver a message, you might as well cut off your own feet; you are asking for trouble.
7 The legs of one who has no power of walking are hanging loose; so is a wise saying in the mouth of the foolish.
7
A fool can use a proverb about as well as crippled people can use their legs.
8 Giving honour to a foolish man is like attempting to keep a stone fixed in a cord.
8
Praising someone who is stupid makes as much sense as tying a stone in a sling.
9 Like 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.
9
A fool quoting a wise saying reminds you of a drunk trying to pick a thorn out of his hand.
10 Like an archer wounding all who go by, is a foolish man overcome by drink.
10
An employer who hires any fool that comes along is only hurting everybody concerned.
11 Like 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.
11
A fool doing some stupid thing a second time is like a dog going back to its vomit.
12 Have you seen a man who seems to himself to be wise? There is more hope for the foolish than for him.
12
The most stupid fool is better off than those who think they are wise when they are not.
13 The hater of work says, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.
13
Why don't lazy people ever get out of the house? What are they afraid of? Lions?
14 A door is turned on its pillar, and the hater of work on his bed.
14
Lazy people turn over in bed. They get no farther than a door swinging on its hinges.
15 The hater of work puts his hand deep into the basin: lifting it again to his mouth is a weariness to him.
15
Some people are too lazy to put food in their own mouths.
16 The hater of work seems to himself wiser than seven men who are able to give an answer with good sense.
16
A lazy person will think he is smarter than seven men who can give good reasons for their opinions.
17 He 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.
17
Getting involved in an argument that is none of your business is like going down the street and grabbing a dog by the ears.
18 As one who is off his head sends about flaming sticks and arrows of death,
18
Someone who tricks someone else and then claims that he was only joking is like a crazy person playing with a deadly weapon.
19 So is the man who gets the better of his neighbour by deceit, and says, Am I not doing so in sport?
20 Without wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no secret talk, argument is ended.
20
Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, quarreling stops.
21 Like breath on coals and wood on fire, so a man given to argument gets a fight started.
21
Charcoal keeps the embers glowing, wood keeps the fire burning, and troublemakers keep arguments alive.
22 The words of one who says evil of his neighbour secretly are like sweet food, they go down into the inner parts of the stomach.
22
Gossip is so tasty! How we love to swallow it!
23 Smooth lips and an evil heart are like a vessel of earth plated with silver waste.
23
Insincere talk that hides what you are really thinking is like a fine glaze on a cheap clay pot.
24 With his lips the hater makes things seem what they are not, but deceit is stored up inside him;
24
A hypocrite hides hate behind flattering words.
25 When he says fair words, have no belief in him; for in his heart are seven evils:
25
They may sound fine, but don't believe him, because his heart is filled to the brim with hate.
26 Though his hate is covered with deceit, his sin will be seen openly before the meeting of the people.
26
He may disguise his hatred, but everyone will see the evil things he does.
27 He who makes a hole in the earth will himself go falling into it: and on him by whom a stone is rolled the stone will come back again.
27
People who set traps for others get caught themselves. People who start landslides get crushed.
28 A false tongue has hate for those who have clean hearts, and a smooth mouth is a cause of falling.
28
You have to hate someone to want to hurt him with lies. Insincere talk brings nothing but ruin.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.