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26:1  It isn’t proper to honor a foolish person. That’s like having snow in summer or rain at harvest time.
26:2  A curse given for no reason is like a wandering bird or a flying sparrow. It doesn’t go anywhere.
26:3  A whip is for a horse, and a harness is for a donkey. And a beating is for the backs of foolish people.
26:4  Don’t answer a foolish person in keeping with their foolish acts. If you do, you yourself will be just like them.
26:5  Answer a foolish person in keeping with their foolish acts. If you do not, they will be wise in their own eyes.
26:6  Sending a message in the hand of a foolish person is like cutting off your feet or drinking poison.
26:7  A proverb in the mouth of a foolish person is like disabled legs that are useless.
26:8  Giving honor to a foolish person is like tying a stone in a slingshot.
26:9  A proverb in the mouth of a foolish person is like a thorn in the hand of someone who is drunk.
26:10  Anyone who hires a foolish person or someone who is passing by is like a person who shoots arrows at just anybody.
26:11  Foolish people who do the same foolish things again are like a dog that returns to where it has thrown up.
26:12  Do you see a person who is wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a foolish person than for them.
26:13  A person who doesn’t want to work says, “There’s a lion in the road! There’s an angry lion wandering in the streets!”
26:14  A person who doesn’t want to work turns over in bed just like a door that swings back and forth.
26:15  A person who doesn’t want to work leaves his hand in his plate. He acts as if he is too tired to bring his hand back up to his mouth.
26:16  A person who doesn’t want to work is wiser in his own eyes than seven people who give careful answers.
26:17  Don’t be quick to get mixed up in someone else’s fight. That’s like grabbing a stray dog by its ears.
26:18  Suppose a crazy person shoots flaming arrows that can kill.
26:19  Someone who lies to their neighbor and says, “I was only joking!” is just like that crazy person.
26:20  If you don’t have wood, your fire goes out. If you don’t talk about others, arguing dies down.
26:21  Coal glows, and wood burns. And a person who argues stirs up conflict.
26:22  The words of anyone who talks about others are like tasty bites of food. They go deep down inside you.
26:23  Warm words that come from an evil heart are like a shiny coating on a clay pot.
26:24  Enemies use their words as a mask. They hide their evil plans in their hearts.
26:25  Even though what they say can be charming, don’t believe them. That’s because seven things God hates fill that person’s heart.
26:26  Their hatred can be hidden by lies. But their evil plans will be shown to everyone.
26:27  Whoever digs a pit will fall into it. If someone rolls a big stone, it will roll back on them.
26:28  A tongue that tells lies hates the people it hurts. And words that seem to praise you destroy you.