The Proverbs (WEB)

26: 1Like snow in summer, and as rain in harvest,
      So honor is not fitting for a fool.

 ^26:2Like a fluttering sparrow,
      Like a darting swallow,
      So the undeserved curse doesn't come to rest.

 ^26:3A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
      And a rod for the back of fools!

 ^26:4Don't answer a fool according to his folly,
      Lest you also be like him.

 ^26:5Answer a fool according to his folly,
      Lest he be wise in his own eyes.

 ^26:6One who sends a message by the hand of a fool
      Is cutting off feet and drinking violence.

 ^26:7Like the legs of the lame that hang loose:
      So is a parable in the mouth of fools.

 ^26:8As one who binds a stone in a sling,
      So is he who gives honor to a fool.

 ^26:9Like a thornbush that goes into the hand of a drunkard,
      So is a parable in the mouth of fools.

 ^26:10As an archer who wounds all,
      So is he who hires a fool
      Or he who hires those who pass by.

 ^26:11As a dog that returns to his vomit,
      So is a fool who repeats his folly.

 ^26:12Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?
      There is more hope for a fool than for him.

 ^26:13The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road!
      A fierce lion roams the streets!"

 ^26:14As the door turns on its hinges,
      So does the sluggard on his bed.

 ^26:15The sluggard buries his hand in the dish.
      He is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.

 ^26:16The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
      Than seven men who answer with discretion.

 ^26:17Like one who seizes a dog's ears
      Is one who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own.

 ^26:18Like a madman who shoots firebrands, arrows, and death,
      ^26:19Is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, "Am I not joking?"

 ^26:20For lack of wood the fire goes out;
      Where there is no gossip, a quarrel dies down.

 ^26:21As coals are to hot embers,
      And wood to fire,
      So is a contentious man to kindle strife.

 ^26:22The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels,
      They go down into the innermost parts.

 ^26:23Like silver dross on an earthen vessel
      Are the lips of a fervent one with an evil heart.

 ^26:24A malicious man disguises himself with his lips,
      But he harbors evil in his heart.

 ^26:25When his speech is charming, don't believe him;
      For there are seven abominations in his heart:

 ^26:26His malice may be concealed by deception,
      But his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

 ^26:27Whoever digs a pit shall fall into it.
      Whoever rolls a stone, it will come back on him.

 ^26:28A lying tongue hates those it hurts;
      And a flattering mouth works ruin.

World English Bible