Every Man's Bible - Proverbs - Flipbook - Page 38
Proverbs 27 | page 864
5
Be sure to answer the foolish arguments
of fools,
or they will become wise in their own
estimation.
6
Trusting a fool to convey a message
is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking
poison!
7
A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is as useless as a paralyzed leg.
8
Honoring a fool
is as foolish as tying a stone to a
slingshot.
9
A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is like a thorny branch brandished by
a drunk.
10
An employer who hires a fool or a
bystander
is like an archer who shoots at random.
11
As a dog returns to its vomit,
so a fool repeats his foolishness.
12
There is more hope for fools
than for people who think they are
wise.
13
The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion
on the road!
Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!”
14
As a door swings back and forth on its
hinges,
so the lazy person turns over in bed.
15
Lazy people take food in their hand
but don’t even lift it to their mouth.
16
Lazy people consider themselves smarter
than seven wise counselors.
17
Interfering in someone else’s argument
is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears.
18
Just as damaging
as a madman shooting a deadly weapon
is someone who lies to a friend
and then says, “I was only joking.”
19
20
21
Rumors are dainty morsels
that sink deep into one’s heart.
23
Smooth* words may hide a wicked heart,
just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.
People may cover their hatred with
pleasant words,
but they’re deceiving you.
25 They pretend to be kind, but don’t
believe them.
Their hearts are full of many evils.*
26 While their hatred may be concealed
by trickery,
their wrongdoing will be exposed
in public.
24
27
If you set a trap for others,
you will get caught in it yourself.
If you roll a boulder down on others,
it will crush you instead.
28
A lying tongue hates its victims,
and flattering words cause ruin.
27
Fire goes out without wood,
and quarrels disappear when gossip
stops.
A quarrelsome person starts fights
as easily as hot embers light charcoal
or fire lights wood.
26:23 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads Burning.
22
1
Don’t brag about tomorrow,
since you don’t know what the
day will bring.
2
Let someone else praise you, not your
own mouth—
a stranger, not your own lips.
3
A stone is heavy and sand is weighty,
but the resentment caused by a fool is
even heavier.
4
Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood,
but jealousy is even more dangerous.
5
An open rebuke
is better than hidden love!
6
Wounds from a sincere friend
are better than many kisses from an
enemy.
7
A person who is full refuses honey,
but even bitter food tastes sweet to
the hungry.
8
A person who strays from home
is like a bird that strays from its nest.
9
The heartfelt counsel of a friend
is as sweet as perfume and incense.
10
Never abandon a friend—
either yours or your father’s.
26:25 Hebrew seven evils.
26:11 We almost invariably repeat the patterns of the past; our old problems revisit us again and again. It is
easy to slip back into familiar sinful patterns; that is why we need to be diligent to preserve our spiritual gains.
