New International Version

Proverbs 26:1-17 New International Version (NIV)

1. Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool.

2. Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.

3. A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!

4. Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him.

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

6. Sending a message by the hands of a fool is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison.

7. Like the useless legs of one who is lame is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

8. Like tying a stone in a sling is the giving of honor to a fool.

9. Like a thornbush in a drunkard’s hand is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

10. Like an archer who wounds at random is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.

11. As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.

12. Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them.

13. A sluggard says, “There’s a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!”

14. As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.

15. A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.

16. A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven people who answer discreetly.

17. Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own.