Thy Strong Word — Proverbs 26:1-28: The Fool, the Sluggard, and the Troublemaker

26 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
    so honor is not fitting for a fool.
² Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
    a curse that is causeless does not alight.
³ A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
    and a rod for the back of fools.
⁴ Answer not a fool according to his folly,
    lest you be like him yourself.
⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly,
    lest he be wise in his own eyes.
⁶ Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool
    cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.
⁷ Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless,
    is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
⁸ Like one who binds the stone in the sling
    is one who gives honor to a fool.
⁹ Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard
    is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
¹⁰ Like an archer who wounds everyone
    is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.^[a]
11 Like a dog that returns to his vomit
    is a fool who repeats his folly.
¹² Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?
    There is more hope for a fool than for him.
¹³ The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!
    There is a lion in the streets!”
¹⁴ As a door turns on its hinges,
    so does a sluggard on his bed.
¹⁵ The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
    it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.
¹⁶ The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
    than seven men who can answer sensibly.
¹⁷ Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own
    is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.
¹⁸ Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death
¹⁹ is the man who deceives his neighbor
    and says, “I am only joking!”
²⁰ For lack of wood the fire goes out,
    and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
²¹ As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
    so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
²² The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
    they go down into the inner parts of the body.
²³ Like the glaze^[b] covering an earthen vessel
    are fervent lips with an evil heart.
²⁴ Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips
    and harbors deceit in his heart;
²⁵ when he speaks graciously, believe him not,
    for there are seven abominations in his heart;
²⁶ though his hatred be covered with deception,
    his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
²⁷ Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
    and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.
²⁸ A lying tongue hates its victims,
    and a flattering mouth works ruin.