Proverbs Monthly

⁶ Sending a message by a fool
is like chopping off your foot
    just to spite yourself.
⁷ A fool with words of wisdom
is like an athlete
    with legs that can't move.^[a]
8 Are you going to honor a fool?
Why not shoot a slingshot
    with the rock tied tight?
⁹ A thornbush waved around
    in the hand of a drunkard
is no worse than a proverb
    in the mouth of a fool.

¹⁰ It's no smarter to shoot arrows
    at every passerby
than it is to hire a bunch
    of worthless nobodies.^[b]
11 (A) Dogs return to eat their vomit,
just as fools repeat
    their foolishness.
¹² There is more hope for a fool
than for someone who says,
    “I'm really smart!”

¹³ Don't be lazy and keep saying,
    “There's a lion outside!”
¹⁴ A door turns on its hinges,
but a lazy person
    just turns over in bed.
¹⁵ Some of us are so lazy
that we won't lift a hand
    to feed ourselves.
¹⁶ A lazy person says,
“I am smarter
    than everyone else.”

¹⁷ It's better to take hold
    of a mad dog by the ears
than to take part
    in someone else's argument.
¹⁸ It's no crazier to shoot
    sharp and flaming arrows
¹⁹ than to cheat someone and say,
    “I was only fooling!”

²⁰ Where there is no fuel
    a fire goes out;
where there is no gossip
    arguments come to an end.
²¹ Troublemakers start trouble,
just as sparks and fuel
    start a fire.
²² There is nothing so delicious
as the taste of gossip!
    It melts in your mouth.

²³ Hiding hateful thoughts
    behind smooth^[c] talk
is like coating a clay pot
    with a cheap glaze.
²⁴ The pleasant talk
    of an enemy
hides more evil plans
²⁵ than can be counted—
    so don't believe a word!
²⁶ Everyone will see through
    those evil plans.
^27 (B) If you dig a pit,
    you will fall in;
if you start a stone rolling,
    it will roll back on you.
²⁸ Watch out for anyone
who tells lies and flatters—
    they are out to get you.

⁵ A truly good friend
    will openly correct you.
⁶ You can trust a friend
    who corrects you,
but kisses from an enemy
    are nothing but lies.
⁷ If you have had enough to eat,
    honey doesn't taste good,
but if you are really hungry,
    you will eat anything.

⁸ When you are far from home,
you feel like a bird
    without a nest.
⁹ The sweet smell of incense
    can make you feel good,
but true friendship
    is better still.^[d]
10 Don't desert an old friend
    of your family
or visit your relatives
    when you are in trouble.
A friend nearby is better
    than relatives far away.

¹¹ My child, show good sense!
    Then I will be happy
and able to answer anyone
    who criticizes me.
¹² Be cautious and hide
    when you see danger—
don't be stupid and walk
    right into trouble.
¹³ You deserve to lose your coat
    if you loan it to someone
to guarantee payment
    for the debt of a stranger.
¹⁴ A loud greeting
early in the morning
    is the same as a curse.
¹⁵ The steady dripping of rain
and the nagging of a wife
    are one and the same.
¹⁶ It's easier to catch the wind
or hold olive oil in your hand
    than to stop a nagging wife.

¹⁷ Just as iron sharpens iron,
friends sharpen the minds
    of each other.
¹⁸ Take care of a tree,
    and you will eat its fruit;
look after your master,
    and you will be praised.
¹⁹ You see your face in a mirror
and your thoughts
    in the minds of others.
²⁰ Death and the grave
are never satisfied,
    and neither are humans.
²¹ Gold and silver are tested
in a red-hot furnace,
    but we are tested by praise.
²² No matter how hard
    you beat a fool,
you can't pound out
    the foolishness.

²³ You should take good care
    of your sheep and goats,
²⁴ because wealth and honor
    don't last forever.
²⁵ After the hay is cut
and the new growth appears
    and the harvest is over,
²⁶ you can sell lambs and goats
    to buy clothes and land.
²⁷ From the milk of the goats,
    you can make enough cheese
to feed your family
    and all your servants.