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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Proverbs 26 ESV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/proverbs/26.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" 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href="../proverbs/25.htm" title="Proverbs 25">◄</a> Proverbs 26 <a href="../proverbs/27.htm" title="Proverbs 27">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">English Standard Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/esv/nas/proverbs/26.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div></a><div class="chap"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,</span><br /><span class="indent">so honor is not fitting for a fool.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,</span><br /><span class="indent">a curse that is causeless does not alight.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,</span><br /><span class="indent">and a rod for the back of fools.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Answer not a fool according to his folly,</span><br /><span class="indent">lest you be like him yourself.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Answer a fool according to his folly,</span><br /><span class="indent">lest he be wise in his own eyes.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool</span><br /><span class="indent">cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless,</span><br /><span class="indent">is a proverb in the mouth of fools.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Like one who binds the stone in the sling</span><br /><span class="indent">is one who gives honor to a fool.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard</span><br /><span class="indent">is a proverb in the mouth of fools.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Like an archer who wounds everyone</span><br /><span class="indent">is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or hires a fool or passersby">a</a></sup></span></span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Like a dog that returns to his vomit</span><br /><span class="indent">is a fool who repeats his folly.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?</span><br /><span class="indent">There is more hope for a fool than for him.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!</span><br /><span class="indent">There is a lion in the streets!”</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">As a door turns on its hinges,</span><br /><span class="indent">so does a sluggard on his bed.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;</span><br /><span class="indent">it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes</span><br /><span class="indent">than seven men who can answer sensibly.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own</span><br /><span class="indent">is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">is the man who deceives his neighbor</span><br /><span class="indent">and says, “I am only joking!”</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">For lack of wood the fire goes out,</span><br /><span class="indent">and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,</span><br /><span class="indent">so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;</span><br /><span class="indent">they go down into the inner parts of the body.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Like the glaze<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="By revocalization; Hebrew silver of dross">b</a></sup></span> covering an earthen vessel</span><br /><span class="indent">are fervent lips with an evil heart.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips</span><br /><span class="indent">and harbors deceit in his heart;</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">when he speaks graciously, believe him not,</span><br /><span class="indent">for there are seven abominations in his heart;</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">though his hatred be covered with deception,</span><br /><span class="indent">his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,</span><br /><span class="indent">and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/26-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">A lying tongue hates its victims,</span><br /><span class="indent">and a flattering mouth works ruin.</span><br /><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="footnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">10</span> Or <i><span class="catch-word">hires</span> a fool or passersby</i><br /><span class="footnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">23</span> By revocalization; Hebrew <i>silver of dross</i><br /></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div 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