The one who digs a pit will fall into it,
and whoever rolls a stone—
it will come back on him.

A lying tongue hates those it crushes,
and a flattering mouth causes ruin.

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As a dog returns to its vomit,
so a fool repeats his foolishness.

Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness
or you’ll be like him yourself.

Without wood, fire goes out;
without a gossip, conflict dies down.

Like snow in summer and rain at harvest,
honor is inappropriate for a fool.

Like a flitting sparrow or a fluttering swallow,
an undeserved curse goes nowhere.

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

A person who is passing by and meddles in a quarrel that’s not his
is like one who grabs a dog by the ears.

Like a madman who throws flaming darts and deadly arrows,

Smooth lips with an evil heart
are like glaze on an earthen vessel.

A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
and a rod for the backs of fools.

A hateful person disguises himself with his speech
and harbors deceit within.

Answer a fool according to his foolishness
or he’ll become wise in his own eyes.

The slacker says, “There’s a lion in the road—
a lion in the public square!”

A gossip’s words are like choice food
that goes down to one’s innermost being.

The one who hires a fool or who hires those passing by
is like an archer who wounds everyone.

As charcoal for embers and wood for fire,
so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

A door turns on its hinges,
and a slacker, on his bed.

In his own eyes, a slacker is wiser
than seven men who can answer sensibly.

The slacker buries his hand in the bowl;
he is too weary to bring it to his mouth.

The one who sends a message by a fool’s hand
cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

Giving honor to a fool
is like binding a stone in a sling.

A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is like a stick with thorns,
brandished by the hand of a drunkard.

When he speaks graciously, don’t believe him,
for there are seven abominations in his heart.

so is the man who deceives his neighbor
and says, “I was only joking!”

A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is like lame legs that hang limp.

Though his hatred is concealed by deception,
his evil will be revealed in the assembly.