Proverbs 26

¹As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour beseemeth not a fool.

²As the sparrow for flitting about, as the swallow for flying, so a curse undeserved shall not come.

³A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the back of fools.

⁴Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.

⁵Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.

⁶He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off [his own] feet, [and] drinketh damage.

⁷The legs of the lame hang loose; so is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

⁸As a bag of gems in a stoneheap, so is he that giveth honour to a fool.

⁹[As] a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

¹⁰A master roughly worketh every one: he both hireth the fool and hireth passers-by.

¹¹As a dog turneth back to its vomit, [so] a fool repeateth his folly.

¹²Hast thou seen a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope of a fool than of him.

¹³The sluggard saith, There is a fierce lion in the way; a lion is in the midst of the streets!

¹⁴[As] the door turneth upon its hinges, so the sluggard upon his bed.

¹⁵The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish: it wearieth him to bring it again to his mouth.