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.