The Message Bible MSG
World English Bible WEB
1 We no more give honors to fools than pray for snow in summer or rain during harvest.
1
Like snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, So honor is not fitting for a fool.
2 You have as little to fear from an undeserved curse as from the dart of a wren or the swoop of a swallow.
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Like a fluttering sparrow, Like a darting swallow, So the undeserved curse doesn't come to rest.
3 A whip for the racehorse, a tiller for the sailboat - and a stick for the back of fools!
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A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the back of fools!
4 Don't respond to the stupidity of a fool; you'll only look foolish yourself.
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Don't answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him.
5 Answer a fool in simple terms so he doesn't get a swelled head.
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Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.
6 You're only asking for trouble when you send a message by a fool.
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One who sends a message by the hand of a fool Is cutting off feet and drinking violence.
7 A proverb quoted by fools is limp as a wet noodle.
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Like the legs of the lame that hang loose: So is a parable in the mouth of fools.
8 Putting a fool in a place of honor is like setting a mud brick on a marble column.
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As one who binds a stone in a sling, So is he who gives honor to a fool.
9 To ask a moron to quote a proverb is like putting a scalpel in the hands of a drunk.
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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 Hire a fool or a drunk and you shoot yourself in the foot.
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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 As a dog eats its own vomit, so fools recycle silliness.
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As a dog that returns to his vomit, So is a fool who repeats his folly.
12 See that man who thinks he's so smart? You can expect far more from a fool than from him.
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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 Loafers say, "It's dangerous out there! Tigers are prowling the streets!" and then pull the covers back over their heads.
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The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion roams the streets!"
14 Just as a door turns on its hinges, so a lazybones turns back over in bed.
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As the door turns on its hinges, So does the sluggard on his bed.
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
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The sluggard buries his hand in the dish. He is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.
16 Dreamers fantasize their self-importance; they think they are smarter than a whole college faculty.
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The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who answer with discretion.
17 You grab a mad dog by the ears when you butt into a quarrel that's none of your business.
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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 People who shrug off deliberate deceptions, saying, "I didn't mean it, I was only joking,"
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Like a madman who shoots firebrands, arrows, and death,
19 Are worse than careless campers who walk away from smoldering campfires.
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Is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, "Am I not joking?"
20 When you run out of wood, the fire goes out; when the gossip ends, the quarrel dies down.
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For lack of wood the fire goes out; Where there is no gossip, a quarrel dies down.
21 A quarrelsome person in a dispute is like kerosene thrown on a fire.
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As coals are to hot embers, And wood to fire, So is a contentious man to kindle strife.
22 Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy; do you want junk like that in your belly?
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The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, They go down into the innermost parts.
23 Smooth talk from an evil heart is like glaze on cracked pottery.
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Like silver dross on an earthen vessel Are the lips of a fervent one with an evil heart.
24 Your enemy shakes hands and greets you like an old friend, all the while conniving against you.
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A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, But he harbors evil 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.
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When his speech is charming, don't believe him; For there are seven abominations in his heart:
26 No matter how cunningly he conceals his malice, eventually his evil will be exposed in public.
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His malice may be concealed by deception, But his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
27 Malice backfires; spite boomerangs.
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Whoever digs a pit shall fall into it. Whoever rolls a stone, it will come back on him.
28 Liars hate their victims; flatterers sabotage trust.
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A lying tongue hates those it hurts; And a flattering mouth works ruin.
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.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.