26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,

lest you yourself also be like him.

5 Answer a fool according to his folly,

lest he be wise in his own opinion.

6 Like cutting off the feet or drinking violence,

so is sending a message by the hand of a fool.

7 Like legs dangle uselessly from the lame,

so a proverb dangles in the mouth of fools.

8 Like tying a stone in a sling,

so is giving honor to a fool.

9 Like a thorn has gone up into the hand of a drunkard,

so a proverb has gone up into the mouth of a fool.

10 Like an archer who wounds at random,

so is the one who hires a fool or hires any passerby.

11 Like a dog that returns to its vomit,

so a fool repeats his folly.

12 You have seen a man wise in his own opinion—

there is more hope for a fool than for him.

The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® copyright © 1996, 2019, used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.