Proverbs Chapter 26 to 28 : Easy-to-Read Version  | SearchSearch | Next Version | Previous Page | Next Page |

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Wise Sayings About Fools

26 Snow shouldn’t fall in the summer. And rain shouldn’t fall during harvest time. In the same way, people should not honor a fool. 2Don’t worry if a person asks for bad things to happen to you. If you did nothing wrong, nothing bad will happen. That person’s words are like birds that fly past you and never stop. 3You have to whip a horse. You have to put a bridle on a mule. And you have to beat a fool. 4{Here is a difficult situation:} If a fool asks a stupid question, then don’t give him a stupid answer or you, too, will look like a fool. 5But if a fool asks a stupid question, then you should give him a stupid answer or he will think he is very smart. 6Never let a fool carry your message. If you do, it will be like cutting off your own feet. You are asking for trouble. 7When a fool tries to say something wise, it is like a crippled person trying to walk.  8Showing honor to a fool is as bad as tying a rock in a sling.* 9When a fool tries to say something wise, it is the same as a drunk person trying to pick a thorn out of his hand. 10Hiring a fool or some stranger passing by is dangerous—you don’t know who might get hurt. 11A dog eats food. Then he gets sick and vomits. Then the dog eats that food again. It is the same with a foolish person. He does the same foolish things again and again. 12A person who thinks he is wise when he is not is worse than a fool.

Wise Sayings About Lazy People

13A lazy person says, “I can’t leave my house. There is a lion in the street.” 14A lazy person is like a door. All he does is turn in his bed like a door turns on its hinges. He never goes anywhere. 15A lazy person is too lazy to lift his food from his plate to his mouth. 16A lazy person thinks he is very wise. He thinks he is smarter than seven men that can give good reasons for their ideas. 17It is dangerous to become part of an argument between two people. It is the same as walking along the street and grabbing a dog by the ears. 18–19A man who tricks another person and then says that he was only joking, is like a crazy person that shoots flaming arrows into the air and accidentally kills someone. 20If a fire has no wood, then the fire will become cold. In the same way, an argument without gossip is finished. 21Charcoal keeps the coals burning. And wood keeps the fire burning. In the same way, people who make trouble keep arguments alive. 22People love gossip. It is like eating good food. 23Good words that hide an evil plan is like silver paint over a cheap, clay pot. 24An evil person makes himself look good by the things he says. But he hides his evil plans in his heart. 25The things he says might seem good. But don’t trust him. His heart is full of evil ideas. 26He hides his evil plans with nice words. But he is mean. And in the end all people will see the evil things that he does. 27If a person tries to trap another person, then he will trap himself. If a person tries to roll a stone over another person, he will be crushed himself. 28The person that tells lies hates the people he hurts. And if a person says things he does not mean, he is only hurting himself.

sling A strip of leather for throwing rocks.


27 Never brag about what will happen in the future. You don’t know what will happen tomorrow. 2Never praise yourself. Let other people do it. 3A stone is heavy, and sand is hard to carry. But {the trouble caused by} an angry fool is much harder to bear. 4Anger is cruel and mean. It causes destruction. But jealousy is much worse. 5Open criticism is better than hidden love. 6A friend might hurt you sometimes, but he does not want to do this. An enemy is different. Even when an enemy is kind to you, he wants to hurt you. 7If you are not hungry, then you will not eat even honey. But if you are hungry, you will eat anything—even if it tastes bad. 8A man away from home is like a bird away from its nest. 9Perfume and sweet-smelling things make you feel happy. And a kind word from a friend is more welcome than life-saving advice. 10Don’t forget your friends and your father’s friends. And if you have trouble, don’t go far away to your brother’s house for help. It is better to ask a neighbor that is near you than to go far away to your brother. 11My son, be wise. This will make me happy. Then I will be able to answer any person that criticizes me. 12Wise people see trouble coming and get out of its way. But a fool goes straight to the trouble and suffers because of it. 13You will lose your shirt if you make yourself responsible for another man’s debts. 14Don’t wake up your neighbor early in the morning with a shout of, “Good morning!” He will treat it like a curse, not a blessing. 15A wife that always wants to argue is like water that never stops dripping on a rainy day.  16Trying to stop that woman is like trying to stop the wind. It is like trying to grab oil with your hand. 17People use pieces of iron to sharpen iron knives. In the same way, people learn from other people, making each other sharp. 18A person who cares for fig trees will be able to eat their fruit. In the same way, a person who cares for his master will be rewarded. His master will care for him. 19When a person looks into the water he can see his own face. In the same way, a man’s heart shows what the man is really like. 20People are just like the grave. That place of death and destruction always wants more than it already has. 21People use fire to make gold and silver pure. In the same way, a man is tested by the praise people give him. 22You can grind a fool to powder, and still you will not force the foolishness out of him. 23Watch your sheep and goats carefully. Be sure you care for them the best you can. 24Wealth doesn’t last forever. Even nations don’t last forever. 25Cut the hay, and new grass will grow. Then you can gather the plants growing on the hills. 26Cut the wool from your lambs and make your clothes. Sell some of your goats and buy some land. 27Then there will be plenty of goat milk for you and your family and enough to keep servant girls healthy.


28 Evil people are afraid of everything. But a good person is as brave as a lion. 2A country filled with people that break the law will have many bad rulers that rule only a short time. But a wise ruler will rule a long time in a country where people understand {the need to obey the law}. 3If a ruler makes trouble for poor people, he is like a hard rain that destroys the crops. 4You are for evil people if you refuse to obey the law. But if you obey the law, then you are against them. 5Evil people don’t understand fairness. But people who love the Lord understand it. 6It is better to be poor but honest than to be rich and evil. 7A person who obeys the law is smart. But the person who becomes friends with worthless people brings shame to his father. 8If you get rich by cheating poor people and charging them high interest rates, then you will lose your wealth. It will go to another person who is kind to them. 9If a person refuses to listen to {God’s} teachings, then {God} will refuse to hear his prayers. 10A bad person might make plans to hurt a good person. But the bad person will fall into his own trap. And good things will happen to the good person. 11Rich people always think they are wise. But a poor person that is wise can see the truth. 12When good people become leaders, everyone is happy. But when an evil person is elected, all people go and hide. 13A person that hides his sins will not be successful. But a person that confesses his sins and stops doing wrong will receive mercy. 14If a person always respects the Lord, then that person will be blessed. But if a person is stubborn and refuses to respect the Lord, then he will have trouble. 15When an evil person rules over weak people, he is like an angry lion or a bear that is ready to fight. 16If a ruler is not wise, he will hurt the people under him. But the ruler that is honest and hates cheating will rule for a long time. 17If a person is guilty of killing another person, then that person will never have peace. Don’t support that person. 18If a person is living right, then he will be safe. But if a person is evil, then he will lose his power. 19A person that works hard will have plenty to eat. But a person that wastes his time with dreams will always be poor. 20God will bless the person who follows him. But a person who is only trying to get rich will be punished. 21A judge must be fair. He must not support a person simply because of who that person is. But some judges will change their decisions for only the smallest payment. 22A selfish person only wants to get rich. That person does not realize that he is very close to being poor. 23If you help someone by telling him he is doing wrong, then later he will be happy with you. That is much better than always saying only nice things to people. 24A person might steal from his father and mother. That person might say, “I did nothing wrong.” But that person is as bad as a man who comes in and smashes everything in the house. 25A selfish person causes trouble. But the person who trusts in the Lord will be rewarded. 26If a person trusts in himself, then he is a fool. But if a person is wise, then he will escape disaster. 27If a person gives to poor people, then he will have everything he needs. But if a person refuses to help poor people, then he will have much trouble. 28If an evil person is elected to rule, then all the people hide. But when that evil person is defeated, then good people rule again.

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