New Living Translation NLT
The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
1 Honor is no more associated with fools than snow with summer or rain with harvest.
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Like snow in summer or rain at harvest-time, so honor for a fool is out of place.
2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.
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Like a fluttering sparrow or a flying swallow, an undeserved curse will come home to roost.
3 Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle, and a fool with a rod to his back!
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A whip for a horse, a bridle for a donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.
4 Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are.
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Don't answer a fool in terms of his folly, or you will be descending to his level;
5 Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation.
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but answer a fool as his folly deserves, so that he won't think he is wise.
6 Trusting a fool to convey a message is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison!
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Telling a message to a fool and sending him out is like cutting off one's feet and drinking violence.
7 A proverb in the mouth of a fool is as useless as a paralyzed leg.
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The legs of the disabled hang limp and useless; likewise a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
8 Honoring a fool is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot.
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Like one who ties his stone to the sling is he who gives honor to a fool.
9 A proverb in the mouth of a fool is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk.
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Like a thorn branch in the hand of a drunk is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
10 An employer who hires a fool or a bystander is like an archer who shoots at random.
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A master can make anything, but hiring a fool is like hiring some passer-by.
11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.
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Just as a dog returns to his vomit, a fool repeats his folly.
12 There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise.
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Do you see someone who thinks himself wise? There is more hope for a fool than for him!
13 The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road! Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!”
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The lazy person says, "There's a lion in the streets! A lion is roaming loose out there!"
14 As a door swings back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed.
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The door turns on its hinges, and the lazy man on his bed.
15 Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.
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The lazy person buries his hand in the dish but is too tired to return it to his mouth.
16 Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors.
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A lazy man is wiser in his own view than seven who can answer with sense.
17 Interfering in someone else’s argument is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears.
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Like someone who grabs a dog by the ears is a passer-by who mixes in a fight not his own.
18 Just as damaging as a madman shooting a deadly weapon
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Like a madman shooting deadly arrows and firebrands
19 is someone who lies to a friend and then says, “I was only joking.”
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is one who deceives another, then says, "It was just a joke."
20 Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.
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If there's no wood, the fire goes out; if nobody gossips, contention stops.
21 A quarrelsome person starts fights as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.
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As coals are to embers and wood to fire is a quarrelsome person to kindling strife.
22 Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart.
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A slanderer's words are tasty morsels; they slide right down into the belly.
23 Smooth words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.
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Like silver slag overlaid on a clay pot are lips that burn [with friendship] over a hating heart.
24 People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they’re deceiving you.
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He who hates may hide it with his speech; but inside, he harbors deceit.
25 They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them. Their hearts are full of many evils.
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He may speak pleasantly, but don't trust him; for seven abominations are in his heart.
26 While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.
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His hatred may be concealed by deceit, but his wickedness will be revealed in the assembly.
27 If you set a trap for others, you will get caught in it yourself. If you roll a boulder down on others, it will crush you instead.
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Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on the one who starts it rolling.
28 A lying tongue hates its victims, and flattering words cause ruin.
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A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.