Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
honor is not fitting for a fool.
Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,
an undeserved curse does not come to rest.
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
and a rod for the backs of fools!
Do not answer fools according to their folly,
or you yourself will be just like them.
Answer fools according to their folly,
or they will be wise in their own eyes.
To send a message by the hands of a fool
is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison.
Like the useless legs of one who is lame
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
Like tying a stone in a sling
is the giving of honor to a fool.
Like a thornbush in a drunkard’s hand
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
Like an archer who wounds at random
is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.
As a dog returns to its vomit,
so fools repeat their folly.
Do you see people who are wise in their own eyes?
There is more hope for fools than for them.
My thoughts -
I don't really have much to say about this. Proverbs is a difficult book to post from. I picked this passage in part to be able to shamelessly use a picture of Mr. T. How very deep of me, huh?
Solomon obviously had a pretty low opinion of "fools". And yet, after all of the harsh words he has to say about them he says that it is better to be a fool than someone who is wise in his own eyes. Something to watch out for, I guess. There is always more to learn. Never feel like you know everything.
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