2 Like a fluttering sparrow or darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest. 3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools! 4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be like him.
Proverbs 26:2–4
Semantically similar passages
Proverbs 23:8–10
8 You will vomit up what little you have eaten and waste your pleasant words. 9 Do not speak to a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words. 10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
Proverbs 27:21–23
21 A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but a man is tested by the praise accorded him. 22 Though you grind a fool like grain with mortar and a pestle, yet his folly will not depart from him. 23 Be sure to know the state of your flocks, and pay close attention…
Proverbs 18:5–7
5 Showing partiality to the wicked is not good, nor is depriving the innocent of justice. 6 A fool’s lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating. 7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
Proverbs 14:2–4
2 He who walks in uprightness fears the LORD, but the one who is devious in his ways despises Him. 3 The proud speech of a fool brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them. 4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but an abundant harvest co…
Proverbs 19:24–26
24 The slacker buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth. 25 Strike a mocker, and the simple will beware; rebuke the discerning man, and he will gain knowledge. 26 He who assaults his father or evicts his mother is a son who brings shame a…
Sirach 8:16–18
16 Don’t fight with a wrathful man. Don’t travel with him through the desert, for blood is as nothing in his sight. Where there is no help, he will overthrow you. (WEB) 17 Don’t consult with a fool, for he will not be able to keep a secret. (WEB) 18 Do no secret thing before a stra… (WEB)
Proverbs 19:28–29
28 A corrupt witness mocks justice, and a wicked mouth swallows iniquity. 29 Judgments are prepared for mockers, and beatings for the backs of fools.
Sirach 19:11–13
11 A fool will travail in pain with a word, as a woman in labor with a child. (WEB) 12 As an arrow that sticks in the flesh of the thigh, so is gossip in a fool. (WEB) 13 Question a friend; it may be he didn’t do it. If he did something, it may be that he may do it no more. (WEB)
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