Pity the Fool!

Proverbs 26:4 NLT

4 Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are.

Proverbs 26:5 NLT

5 Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation.

Proverbs 26:4

Proverbs 26:1-12

Proverbs 26:1–12 NLT

1 Honor is no more associated with fools than snow with summer or rain with harvest. 2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim. 3 Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle, and a fool with a rod to his back! 4 Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are. 5 Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation. 6 Trusting a fool to convey a message is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison! 7 A proverb in the mouth of a fool is as useless as a paralyzed leg. 8 Honoring a fool is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot. 9 A proverb in the mouth of a fool is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk. 10 An employer who hires a fool or a bystander is like an archer who shoots at random. 11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness. 12 There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise.

Proverbs 26

Proverbs 26:4–5 ESV

4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.

Proverbs 26:4–5 NIV

4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.

Proverbs 26:

Proverbs 26:4–5 The Message

4 Don’t respond to the stupidity of a fool; you’ll only look foolish yourself. 5 Answer a fool in simple terms so he doesn’t get a swelled head.

Contradiction is not a sign of falsity, nor the want of contradiction a sign of truth. -Blaise Pascal

-Blaise