Hebrew Names Version HNV
The Message Bible MSG
1 Like snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, So honor is not fitting for a fool.
1
We no more give honors to fools than pray for snow in summer or rain during harvest.
2 Like a fluttering sparrow, Like a darting swallow, So the undeserved curse doesn't come to rest.
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 the horse, a bridle for the 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 according to his folly, Lest you also be like him.
4
Don't respond to the stupidity of a fool; you'll only look foolish yourself.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.
5
Answer a fool in simple terms so he doesn't get a swelled head.
6 One who sends a message by the hand of a fool Is cutting off feet and drinking violence.
6
You're only asking for trouble when you send a message by a fool.
7 Like the legs of the lame that hang loose: So is a parable in the mouth of fools.
7
A proverb quoted by fools is limp as a wet noodle.
8 As one who binds a stone in a sling, So 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 thornbush that goes into the hand of a drunkard, So is a parable in the mouth of fools.
9
To ask a moron to quote a proverb is like putting a scalpel in the hands of a drunk.
10 As an archer who wounds all, So is he who hires a fool Or he who hires those who pass by.
10
Hire a fool or a drunk and you shoot yourself in the foot.
11 As a dog that returns to his vomit, So is a fool who repeats his folly.
11
As a dog eats its own vomit, so fools recycle silliness.
12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? 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 sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion roams the streets!"
13
Loafers say, "It's dangerous out there! Tigers are prowling the streets!" and then pull the covers back over their heads.
14 As the door turns on its hinges, So does the sluggard on his bed.
14
Just as a door turns on its hinges, so a lazybones turns back over in bed.
15 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish. He is too lazy to bring it back 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 The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who answer with discretion.
16
Dreamers fantasize their self-importance; they think they are smarter than a whole college faculty.
17 Like one who seizes a dog's ears Is one who passes by and meddles in a quarrel 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 who shoots firebrands, arrows, and death,
18
People who shrug off deliberate deceptions, saying, "I didn't mean it, I was only joking,"
19 Is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, "Am I not joking?"
19
Are worse than careless campers who walk away from smoldering campfires.
20 For lack of wood the fire goes out; Where there is no gossip, a quarrel dies down.
20
When you run out of wood, the fire goes out; when the gossip ends, the quarrel dies down.
21 As coals are to hot embers, And wood to fire, So is a contentious man to kindle strife.
21
A quarrelsome person in a dispute is like kerosene thrown on a fire.
22 The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, They go down into the innermost parts.
22
Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy; do you want junk like that in your belly?
23 Like silver dross on an earthen vessel Are the lips of a fervent one with an evil heart.
23
Smooth talk from an evil heart is like glaze on cracked pottery.
24 A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, But he harbors evil in his heart.
24
Your enemy shakes hands and greets you like an old friend, all the while conniving against you.
25 When his speech is charming, don't believe him; For there are seven abominations 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 malice may be concealed by deception, But his wickedness will be exposed 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 shall fall into it. Whoever rolls a stone, it will come back on him.
27
Malice backfires; spite boomerangs.
28 A lying tongue hates those it hurts; And a flattering mouth works ruin.
28
Liars hate their victims; flatterers sabotage trust.
The Hebrew Names Version is in the public domain.
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.