Good News Translation GNT
World English Bible WEB
1 Praise for a fool is out of place, like snow in summer or rain at harvest time.
1
Like snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, So honor is not fitting for a fool.
2 Curses cannot hurt you unless you deserve them. They are like birds that fly by and never light.
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Like a fluttering sparrow, Like a darting swallow, So the undeserved curse doesn't come to rest.
3 You have to whip a horse, you have to bridle a donkey, and you have to beat a fool.
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A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the back of fools!
4 If you answer a silly question, you are just as silly as the person who asked it.
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Don't answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him.
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.
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Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.
6 If you let a fool deliver a message, you might as well cut off your own feet; you are asking for trouble.
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One who sends a message by the hand of a fool Is cutting off feet and drinking violence.
7 A fool can use a proverb about as well as crippled people can use their legs.
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Like the legs of the lame that hang loose: So is a parable in the mouth of fools.
8 Praising someone who is stupid makes as much sense as tying a stone in a sling.
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As one who binds a stone in a sling, So is he who gives honor to a fool.
9 A fool quoting a wise saying reminds you of a drunk trying to pick a thorn out of his hand.
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Like a thornbush that goes into the hand of a drunkard, So is a parable in the mouth of fools.
10 An employer who hires any fool that comes along is only hurting everybody concerned.
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As an archer who wounds all, So is he who hires a fool Or he who hires those who pass by.
11 A fool doing some stupid thing a second time is like a dog going back to its vomit.
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As a dog that returns to his vomit, So is a fool who repeats his folly.
12 The most stupid fool is better off than those who think they are wise when they are not.
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Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
13 Why don't lazy people ever get out of the house? What are they afraid of? Lions?
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The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion roams the streets!"
14 Lazy people turn over in bed. They get no farther than a door swinging on its hinges.
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As the door turns on its hinges, So does the sluggard on his bed.
15 Some people are too lazy to put food in their own mouths.
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The sluggard buries his hand in the dish. He is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.
16 A lazy person will think he is smarter than seven men who can give good reasons for their opinions.
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The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who answer with discretion.
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.
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Like one who seizes a dog's ears Is one who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own.
18 Someone who tricks someone else and then claims that he was only joking is like a crazy person playing with a deadly weapon.
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Like a madman who shoots firebrands, arrows, and death,
20 Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, quarreling stops.
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For lack of wood the fire goes out; Where there is no gossip, a quarrel dies down.
21 Charcoal keeps the embers glowing, wood keeps the fire burning, and troublemakers keep arguments alive.
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As coals are to hot embers, And wood to fire, So is a contentious man to kindle strife.
22 Gossip is so tasty! How we love to swallow it!
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The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, They go down into the innermost parts.
23 Insincere talk that hides what you are really thinking is like a fine glaze on a cheap clay pot.
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Like silver dross on an earthen vessel Are the lips of a fervent one with an evil heart.
24 A hypocrite hides hate behind flattering words.
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A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, But he harbors evil in his heart.
25 They may sound fine, but don't believe him, because his heart is filled to the brim with hate.
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When his speech is charming, don't believe him; For there are seven abominations in his heart:
26 He may disguise his hatred, but everyone will see the evil things he does.
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His malice may be concealed by deception, But his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
27 People who set traps for others get caught themselves. People who start landslides get crushed.
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Whoever digs a pit shall fall into it. Whoever rolls a stone, it will come back on him.
28 You have to hate someone to want to hurt him with lies. Insincere talk brings nothing but ruin.
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A lying tongue hates those it hurts; And a flattering mouth works ruin.