[1] Honor is no more associated with fools than snow with summer or rain with harvest.
[2] Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.
[3] Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle, and a fool with a rod to his back!
[4] Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are.
[5] Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation.
[6] Trusting a fool to convey a message is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison!
[7] A proverb in the mouth of a fool is as useless as a paralyzed leg.
[8] Honoring a fool is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot.
[9] A proverb in the mouth of a fool is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk.
[10] An employer who hires a fool or a bystander is like an archer who shoots at random.
[11] As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.
[12] There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise.
[13] The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road! Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!”
[14] As a door swings back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed.
[15] Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.
[16] Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors.
[17] Interfering in someone else’s argument is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears.
[18] Just as damaging as a madman shooting a deadly weapon
[19] is someone who lies to a friend and then says, “I was only joking.”
[20] Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.
[21] A quarrelsome person starts fights as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.
[22] Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart.
[23] Smooth words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.
[24] People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they’re deceiving you.
[25] They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them. Their hearts are full of many evils.
[26] While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.
[27] If 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.
[28] A lying tongue hates its victims, and flattering words cause ruin.