New Living Translation NLT
Hebrew Names Version HNV
1 Honor is no more associated with fools than snow with summer or rain with harvest.
1
Like snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, So honor is not fitting for a fool.
2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.
2
Like a fluttering sparrow, Like a darting swallow, So the undeserved curse doesn't come to rest.
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 the horse, a bridle for the 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 according to his folly, Lest you also be like him.
5 Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation.
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Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.
6 Trusting a fool to convey a message is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison!
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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 in the mouth of a fool is as useless as a paralyzed leg.
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Like the legs of the lame that hang loose: So is a parable in the mouth of fools.
8 Honoring a fool is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot.
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As one who binds a stone in a sling, So 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 thornbush that goes into the hand of a drunkard, So is a parable in the mouth of fools.
10 An employer who hires a fool or a bystander is like an archer who shoots at random.
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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 returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.
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As a dog that returns to his vomit, So is a fool who 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 a man wise in his own eyes? 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 sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion roams the streets!"
14 As a door swings back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed.
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As the door turns on its hinges, So does the sluggard 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 sluggard buries his hand in the dish. He is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.
16 Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors.
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The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who answer with discretion.
17 Interfering in someone else’s argument is as foolish as yanking a dog’s 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 Just as damaging as a madman shooting a deadly weapon
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Like a madman who shoots firebrands, arrows, and death,
19 is someone who lies to a friend and then says, “I was only joking.”
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Is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, "Am I not joking?"
20 Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.
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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 starts fights as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.
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As coals are to hot embers, And wood to fire, So is a contentious man to kindle strife.
22 Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart.
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The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, They go down into the innermost parts.
23 Smooth words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a 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 People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they’re deceiving you.
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A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, But he harbors evil in his heart.
25 They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them. Their hearts are full of many evils.
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When his speech is charming, don't believe him; For there are seven abominations in his heart:
26 While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, their wrongdoing 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 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 shall fall into it. Whoever rolls a stone, it will come back on him.
28 A lying tongue hates its victims, and flattering words cause ruin.
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A lying tongue hates those it hurts; And a flattering mouth works 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.
The Hebrew Names Version is in the public domain.