Proverbs

⁶He who sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off the feet [of satisfactory delivery] and drinks the damage. [Prov. 13:17.] ⁷Like the legs of a lame man which hang loose, so is a parable in the mouth of a fool. ⁸Like he who binds a stone in a sling, so is he who gives honor to a [self-confident] fool. ⁹Like a thorn that goes [without being felt] into the hand of a drunken man, so is a proverb in the mouth of a [self-confident] fool. ¹⁰[But] like an archer who wounds all, so is he who hires a fool or chance passers-by. ¹¹As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool returns to his folly. ¹²Do you see a man wise in his own eyes and conceit? There is more hope for a [self-confident] fool than for him. [Prov. 29:20; Luke 18:11; Rom. 12:16; Rev. 3:17.]