26:1 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool.

26:2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.

26:3 A whip for the horse, a halter for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!

26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.

26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.

26:6 Like cutting off one's feet or drinking violence is the sending of a message by the hand of a fool.

26:7 Like a lame man's legs that hang limp is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

26:8 Like tying a stone in a sling is the giving of honor to a fool.

26:9 Like a thornbush in a drunkard's hand is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

26:10 Like an archer who wounds at random is he who hires a fool or any passer-by.

26:11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

26:12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

26:13 The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!"

26:14 As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.

26:15 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.

26:16 The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.

26:17 Like one who seizes a dog by the ears is a passer-by who meddles in a quarrel not his own.

26:18 Like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows

26:19 is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, "I was only joking!"

26:20 Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.

26:21 As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

26:22 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts.

26:23 Like a coating of glaze over earthenware are fervent lips with an evil heart.

26:24 A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, but in his heart he harbors deceit.

26:25 Though his speech is charming, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart.

26:26 His malice may be concealed by deception, but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

26:27 If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it; if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him.

26:28 A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.