Proverbs 26 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

Pro 26:1

Pro 26:1Honor is no more associated with fools
than snow with summer or rain with harvest.

Pro 26:2

Pro 26:2Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,
an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.

Pro 26:3

Pro 26:3Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle,
and a fool with a rod to his back!

Pro 26:4

Pro 26:4Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools,
or you will become as foolish as they are.

Pro 26:5

Pro 26:5Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools,
or they will become wise in their own estimation.

Pro 26:6

Pro 26:6Trusting a fool to convey a message
is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison!

Pro 26:7

Pro 26:7A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is as useless as a paralyzed leg.

Pro 26:8

Pro 26:8Honoring a fool
is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot.

Pro 26:9

Pro 26:9A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk.

Pro 26:10

Pro 26:10An employer who hires a fool or a bystander
is like an archer who shoots at random.

Pro 26:11

Pro 26:11As a dog returns to its vomit,
so a fool repeats his foolishness.

Pro 26:12

Pro 26:12There is more hope for fools
than for people who think they are wise.

Pro 26:13

Pro 26:13The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road!
Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!”

Pro 26:14

Pro 26:14As a door swings back and forth on its hinges,
so the lazy person turns over in bed.

Pro 26:15

Pro 26:15Lazy people take food in their hand
but don’t even lift it to their mouth.

Pro 26:16

Pro 26:16Lazy people consider themselves smarter
than seven wise counselors.

Pro 26:17

Pro 26:17Interfering in someone else’s argument
is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears.

Pro 26:18

Pro 26:18Just as damaging
as a madman shooting a deadly weapon

Pro 26:19

Pro 26:19is someone who lies to a friend
and then says, “I was only joking.”

Pro 26:20

Pro 26:20Fire goes out without wood,
and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.

Pro 26:21

Pro 26:21A quarrelsome person starts fights
as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.

Pro 26:22

Pro 26:22Rumors are dainty morsels
that sink deep into one’s heart.

Pro 26:23

Pro 26:23Smooth[fn] words may hide a wicked heart,
just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.

Pro 26:24

Pro 26:24People may cover their hatred with pleasant words,
but they’re deceiving you.

Pro 26:25

Pro 26:25They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them.
Their hearts are full of many evils.[fn]

Pro 26:26

Pro 26:26While their hatred may be concealed by trickery,
their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.

Pro 26:27

Pro 26:27If 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.

Pro 26:28

Pro 26:28A lying tongue hates its victims,
and flattering words cause ruin.

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NLT Footnotes

(26:23)

As in Greek version; Hebrew reads Burning.

(26:25)

Hebrew seven evils.

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