The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Message Bible MSG
1 Like snow in summer or rain at harvest-time, so honor for a fool is out of place.
1
We no more give honors to fools than pray for snow in summer or rain during harvest.
2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a flying swallow, an undeserved curse will come home to roost.
2
You have as little to fear from an undeserved curse as from the dart of a wren or the swoop of a swallow.
3 A whip for a horse, a bridle for a donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.
3
A whip for the racehorse, a tiller for the sailboat - and a stick for the back of fools!
4 Don't answer a fool in terms of his folly, or you will be descending to his level;
4
Don't respond to the stupidity of a fool; you'll only look foolish yourself.
5 but answer a fool as his folly deserves, so that he won't think he is wise.
5
Answer a fool in simple terms so he doesn't get a swelled head.
6 Telling a message to a fool and sending him out is like cutting off one's feet and drinking violence.
6
You're only asking for trouble when you send a message by a fool.
7 The legs of the disabled hang limp and useless; likewise a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
7
A proverb quoted by fools is limp as a wet noodle.
8 Like one who ties his stone to the sling is he who gives honor to a fool.
8
Putting a fool in a place of honor is like setting a mud brick on a marble column.
9 Like a thorn branch in the hand of a drunk is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
9
To ask a moron to quote a proverb is like putting a scalpel in the hands of a drunk.
10 A master can make anything, but hiring a fool is like hiring some passer-by.
10
Hire a fool or a drunk and you shoot yourself in the foot.
11 Just as a dog returns to his vomit, a fool repeats his folly.
11
As a dog eats its own vomit, so fools recycle silliness.
12 Do you see someone who thinks himself wise? There is more hope for a fool than for him!
12
See that man who thinks he's so smart? You can expect far more from a fool than from him.
13 The lazy person says, "There's a lion in the streets! A lion is roaming loose out there!"
13
Loafers say, "It's dangerous out there! Tigers are prowling the streets!" and then pull the covers back over their heads.
14 The door turns on its hinges, and the lazy man on his bed.
14
Just as a door turns on its hinges, so a lazybones turns back over in bed.
15 The lazy person buries his hand in the dish but is too tired to return it to his mouth.
15
A shiftless sluggard puts his fork in the pie, but is too lazy to lift it to his mouth. Like Glaze on Cracked Pottery
16 A lazy man is wiser in his own view than seven who can answer with sense.
16
Dreamers fantasize their self-importance; they think they are smarter than a whole college faculty.
17 Like someone who grabs a dog by the ears is a passer-by who mixes in a fight not his own.
17
You grab a mad dog by the ears when you butt into a quarrel that's none of your business.
18 Like a madman shooting deadly arrows and firebrands
18
People who shrug off deliberate deceptions, saying, "I didn't mean it, I was only joking,"
19 is one who deceives another, then says, "It was just a joke."
19
Are worse than careless campers who walk away from smoldering campfires.
20 If there's no wood, the fire goes out; if nobody gossips, contention stops.
20
When you run out of wood, the fire goes out; when the gossip ends, the quarrel dies down.
21 As coals are to embers and wood to fire is a quarrelsome person to kindling strife.
21
A quarrelsome person in a dispute is like kerosene thrown on a fire.
22 A slanderer's words are tasty morsels; they slide right down into the belly.
22
Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy; do you want junk like that in your belly?
23 Like silver slag overlaid on a clay pot are lips that burn [with friendship] over a hating heart.
23
Smooth talk from an evil heart is like glaze on cracked pottery.
24 He who hates may hide it with his speech; but inside, he harbors deceit.
24
Your enemy shakes hands and greets you like an old friend, all the while conniving against you.
25 He may speak pleasantly, but don't trust him; for seven abominations are in his heart.
25
When he speaks warmly to you, don't believe him for a minute; he's just waiting for the chance to rip you off.
26 His hatred may be concealed by deceit, but his wickedness will be revealed in the assembly.
26
No matter how cunningly he conceals his malice, eventually his evil will be exposed in public.
27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on the one who starts it rolling.
27
Malice backfires; spite boomerangs.
28 A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.
28
Liars hate their victims; flatterers sabotage trust.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.