Observations about fools;

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

26:2 Like a fluttering sparrow,
like a darting swallow,
so the undeserved curse doesn’t come to rest.

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

26:4 Don’t answer a fool according to his folly,
lest you also be like him.

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

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

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

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

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

26:10 As an archer who wounds all,
so is he who hires a fool
or he who hires those who pass by.

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

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

about sluggards;

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

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

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

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

and about contentious busy-bodies.

26:17 Like one who grabs a dog’s ears
is one who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own.

26:18 Like a madman who shoots torches, arrows, and death,

26:19 is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “Am I not joking?”

26:20 For lack of wood a fire goes out.
Without gossip, a quarrel dies down.

26:21 As coals are to hot embers,
and wood to fire,
so is a contentious man to kindling strife.

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

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

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

26:25 When his speech is charming, don’t believe him;
for there are seven abominations in his heart.

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

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

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