New International Version NIV
Good News Translation GNT
1 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool.
1
Praise for a fool is out of place, like snow in summer or rain at harvest time.
2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.
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 bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!
3
You have to whip a horse, you have to bridle a donkey, and you have to beat a fool.
4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him.
4
If you answer a silly question, you are just as silly as the person who asked it.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.
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 Sending a message by the hands of a fool is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison.
6
If you let a fool deliver a message, you might as well cut off your own feet; you are asking for trouble.
7 Like the useless legs of one who is lame is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
7
A fool can use a proverb about as well as crippled people can use their legs.
8 Like tying a stone in a sling is the giving of honor to a fool.
8
Praising someone who is stupid makes as much sense as tying a stone in a sling.
9 Like a thornbush in a drunkard’s hand is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
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 who wounds at random is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.
10
An employer who hires any fool that comes along is only hurting everybody concerned.
11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.
11
A fool doing some stupid thing a second time is like a dog going back to its vomit.
12 Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them.
12
The most stupid fool is better off than those who think they are wise when they are not.
13 A sluggard says, “There’s a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!”
13
Why don't lazy people ever get out of the house? What are they afraid of? Lions?
14 As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.
14
Lazy people turn over in bed. They get no farther than a door swinging on its hinges.
15 A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.
15
Some people are too lazy to put food in their own mouths.
16 A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven people who answer discreetly.
16
A lazy person will think he is smarter than seven men who can give good reasons for their opinions.
17 Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own.
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 Like a maniac shooting flaming 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 is one who deceives their neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”
20 Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down.
20
Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, quarreling stops.
21 As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.
21
Charcoal keeps the embers glowing, wood keeps the fire burning, and troublemakers keep arguments alive.
22 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.
22
Gossip is so tasty! How we love to swallow it!
23 Like a coating of silver dross on earthenware are fervent lips with an evil heart.
23
Insincere talk that hides what you are really thinking is like a fine glaze on a cheap clay pot.
24 Enemies disguise themselves with their lips, but in their hearts they harbor deceit.
24
A hypocrite hides hate behind flattering words.
25 Though their speech is charming, do not believe them, for seven abominations fill their hearts.
25
They may sound fine, but don't believe him, because his heart is filled to the brim with hate.
26 Their malice may be concealed by deception, but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
26
He may disguise his hatred, but everyone will see the evil things he does.
27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.
27
People who set traps for others get caught themselves. People who start landslides get crushed.
28 A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.
28
You have to hate someone to want to hurt him with lies. Insincere talk brings nothing but ruin.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.