Previous Chapter Full Page Full Page Next Chapter

Proverbs 26 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

Honor Is Not Fitting for a Fool
Pro 26:1As snow in summer and rain in harvest,
So honor is not fitting for a fool.
Pro 26:2Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow,
So a curse without cause shall not alight.
Pro 26:3A whip for the horse,
A bridle for the donkey,
And a rod for the fool’s back.
Pro 26:4Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest you also be like him.
Pro 26:5Answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest he be wise in his own eyes.
Pro 26:6He who sends a message by the hand of a fool
Cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.
Pro 26:7Like the legs of the lame that hang limp
Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
Pro 26:8Like one who binds a stone in a sling
Is he who gives honor to a fool.
Pro 26:9Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkard
Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
Pro 26:10The great God who formed everything
Gives the fool his hire and the transgressor his wages.[fn]
Pro 26:11As a dog returns to his own vomit,
So a fool repeats his folly.
Pro 26:12Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Pro 26:13The lazy man says, “There is a lion in the road!
A fierce lion is in the streets!”
Pro 26:14As a door turns on its hinges,
So does the lazy man on his bed.
Pro 26:15The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl;[fn]
It wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.
Pro 26:16The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes
Than seven men who can answer sensibly.
Pro 26:17He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own
Is like one who takes a dog by the ears.
Pro 26:18Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death,
Pro 26:19Is the man who deceives his neighbor,
And says, “I was only joking!”
Pro 26:20Where there is no wood, the fire goes out;
And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.
Pro 26:21As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire,
So is a contentious man to kindle strife.
Pro 26:22The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles,
And they go down into the inmost body.
Pro 26:23Fervent lips with a wicked heart
Are like earthenware covered with silver dross.
Pro 26:24He who hates, disguises it with his lips,
And lays up deceit within himself;
Pro 26:25When he speaks kindly, do not believe him,
For there are seven abominations in his heart;
Pro 26:26Though his hatred is covered by deceit,
His wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.
Pro 26:27Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
And he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.
Pro 26:28A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it,
And a flattering mouth works ruin.
NKJV Footnotes
The Hebrew is difficult; ancient and modern translators differ greatly.
Compare 19:24
Translation Copyright Logo

New King James Version, © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

The text of the New King James Version (NKJV) appearing on or deriving from this or any other web page is for personal use only. Any other use of the NKJV must be in conformity with the Quotation Policy for the New King James Version. For more information about the New King James Version, the Quotation Policy, and for inquiries about permission to use the New King James Version, go to Thomas Nelson, Inc..

For more information on this translation, see the NKJV Preface.

Proverbs Chapter 26 — Additional Translations: