'Foolish' in the Bible

A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him.

Even the foolish man, when he keeps quiet, is taken to be wise: when his lips are shut he is credited with good sense.

A foolish man has no pleasure in good sense, but only to let what is in his heart come to light.

A foolish man's lips are a cause of fighting, and his mouth makes him open to blows.

The mouth of a foolish man is his destruction, and his lips are a net for his soul.

Whoever answers before listening is both foolish and shameful.

By his foolish behaviour a man's ways are turned upside down, and his heart is bitter against the Lord.

Material comfort is not good for the foolish; much less for a servant to be put over rulers.

A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.

Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of the foolish.

Wine makes men foolish, and strong drink makes men come to blows; and whoever comes into error through these is not wise.

It is an honour for a man to keep from fighting, but the foolish are ever at war.

There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.

Foolish ways are deep-seated in the heart of a child, but the rod of punishment will send them far from him.

Speak not in the ears of a foolish man, for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

Wisdom is outside the power of the foolish: he keeps his mouth shut in the public place.

A foolish scheme is sin,and a mocker is detestable to people.

Like snow in summer and rain when the grain is being cut, so honour is not natural for the foolish.

A whip for the horse, a mouth-bit for the ass, and a rod for the back of the foolish.

Do not give to the foolish man a foolish answer, or you will be like him.

Give a foolish man a foolish answer, or he will seem wise to himself.

He who sends news by the hand of a foolish man is cutting off his feet and drinking in damage.

The legs of one who has no power of walking are hanging loose; so is a wise saying in the mouth of the foolish.

Giving honour to a foolish man is like attempting to keep a stone fixed in a cord.

Like a thorn which goes up into the hand of a man overcome by drink, so is a wise saying in the mouth of a foolish man.

Like an archer wounding all who go by, is a foolish man overcome by drink.

Like a dog going back to the food which he has not been able to keep down, is the foolish man doing his foolish acts over again.

Have you seen a man who seems to himself to be wise? There is more hope for the foolish than for him.

A stone has great weight, and sand is crushing; but the wrath of the foolish is of greater weight than these.

A sensible person sees danger and takes cover;the inexperienced keep going and are punished.

If thou dost beat the foolish in a mortar, Among washed things -- with a pestle, His folly turneth not aside from off him.

Whoever trusts in himself is foolish, but whoever lives wisely will be kept safe.

If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest.

A foolish man lets out all his wrath, but a wise man keeps it back quietly.

Have you seen a man who is quick with his tongue? There is more hope for a foolish man than for him.

Put far from me all false and foolish things: do not give me great wealth or let me be in need, but give me only enough food:

If you have been foolish by exalting yourselfor if you’ve been scheming,put your hand over your mouth.

So I decided to discern the benefit of wisdom and knowledge over foolish behavior and ideas; however, I concluded that even this endeavor is like trying to chase the wind!

Of laughter I said, 'Foolish!' and of mirth, 'What is this it is doing?'

I made a search with my heart to give pleasure to my flesh with wine, still guiding my heart with wisdom, and to go after foolish things, so that I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under the heavens all the days of their life.

Next, I decided to consider wisdom, as well as foolish behavior and ideas. For what more can the king's successor do than what the king has already done?

Then I saw that wisdom is better than foolish ways--as the light is better than the dark.

The wise man's eyes are in his head, but the foolish man goes walking in the dark; but still I saw that the same event comes to them all.

Then said I in my heart: As it comes to the foolish man, so will it come to me; so why have I been wise overmuch? Then I said in my heart: This again is to no purpose.

Of the wise man, as of the foolish man, there is no memory for ever, seeing that those who now are will have gone from memory in the days to come. See how death comes to the wise as to the foolish!

And who knows whether he will be wise or foolish? Either way, he will take possession of everything that I have done on earth, especially where I have excelled. This also is pointless.

The foolish man, folding his hands, takes the flesh of his body for food.

Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.

Put your feet down with care when you go to the house of God, for it is better to give ear than to make the burned offerings of the foolish, whose knowledge is only of doing evil.

As a dream comes from much business, so the voice of a foolish man comes with words in great number.

When you take an oath before God, put it quickly into effect, because he has no pleasure in the foolish; keep the oath you have taken.

What have the wise more than the foolish? and what has the poor man by walking wisely before the living?

Who is able to say what is good for man in life all the days of his foolish life which he goes through like a shade? who will say what is to be after him under the sun?

The hearts of the wise are in the house of weeping; but the hearts of the foolish are in the house of joy.

It is better to take note of the protest of the wise, than for a man to give ear to the song of the foolish.

Like the cracking of thorns under a pot, so is the laugh of a foolish man; and this again is to no purpose.

Unjust gain makes the wise foolish, and a bribe corrupts the heart.

Be not quick to let your spirit be angry; because wrath is in the heart of the foolish.

Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?

I gave my mind to knowledge and to searching for wisdom and the reason of things, and to the discovery that sin is foolish, and that to be foolish is to be without one's senses.

This is evil in all things which are done under the sun: that there is one fate for all, and the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; while they have life their hearts are foolish, and after that--to the dead.

Have joy with the woman of your love all the days of your foolish life which he gives you under the sun. Because that is your part in life and in your work which you do under the sun.

The words of the wise which come quietly to the ear are noted more than the cry of a ruler among the foolish.

Dead flies make the oil of the perfumer give out an evil smell; more valued is a little wisdom than the great glory of the foolish.

A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man’s heart directs him toward the left.

And when the foolish man is walking in the way, he has no sense and lets everyone see that he is foolish.

The foolish are placed in high positions, but men of wealth are kept low.

The words of a wise man's mouth are sweet to all, but the lips of a foolish man are his destruction.

At the beginning his words are foolish and at the end his talk is wicked madness,

The foolish are full of words; man has no knowledge of what will be; and who is able to say what will be after him?

The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.

And I will make children their chiefs, and foolish ones will have rule over them.

For this cause the Lord will have no pleasure in their young men, and no pity on their widows and the children without fathers: for they are all haters of God and evil-doers, and foolish words come from every mouth. For all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the counsel of the wisest counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?

Foolish have been princes of Zoan, Lifted up have been princes of Noph, And they have caused Egypt to err, The chief of her tribes.

When its branches are dry they will be broken off; the women will come and put fire to them: for it is a foolish people; for this cause he who made them will have no mercy on them, and he whose work they are will not have pity on them.

The foolish man will no longer be named noble, and they will not say of the false man that he is a man of honour.

For the foolish man will say foolish things, having evil thoughts in his heart, working what is unclean, and talking falsely about the Lord, to keep food from him who is in need of it, and water from him whose soul is desiring it.

And a highway will be there; its name will be, The Holy Way; the unclean and the sinner may not go over it, and those who go on it will not be turned out of the way by the foolish.

But you are nothing, and your work is of no value: foolish is he who takes you for his gods.

That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;

For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God.

Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:

For that which is feared by the people is foolish: it is the work of the hands of the workman; for a tree is cut down by him out of the woods with his axe.

But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.

Like the partridge, getting eggs together but not producing young, is a man who gets wealth but not by right; before half his days are ended, it will go from him, and at his end he will be foolish.

And they have drunk, and shaken themselves and shewn themselves foolish, because of the sword that I am sending among them.

A sword is on the princes, And they have become foolish; A sword is on her mighty ones, And they have been broken down;

Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.

Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

For this cause you will see no more foolish visions or make false use of secret arts: and I will make my people free from your power; and you will be certain that I am the Lord.

Now when she saw that her hope was made foolish and gone, she took another of her little ones and made him into a young lion.

And her prophets have been using whitewash, seeing foolish visions and making false use of secret arts, saying, This is what the Lord has said, when the Lord has said nothing.

“Now her sister Oholibah saw this, yet she was more corrupt in her lust than she, and her acts of prostitution were more [wanton] than the immoralities of her sister.

And Ephraim is like a foolish dove, without wisdom; they send out their cry to Egypt, they go to Assyria.

The days of punishment, the days of reward are come; Israel will be put to shame; the prophet is foolish, the man who has the spirit is off his head, because of your great sin.

Their words are foolish; they make agreements with false oaths, so punishment will come up like a poison-plant in a ploughed field.

When the time of childbirth comes, he will be so foolish that he will refuse to be born."

Making foolish songs to the sound of corded instruments, and designing for themselves instruments of music, like David;