As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest,
So honor is not seemly for a fool.
As the sparrow in her wandering, as the swallow in her flying,
So the curse that is causeless {Hebrew: cometh not.}alighteth not.
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass,
And a rod for the back of fools.
Answer not a fool according to his folly,
Lest thou also be like unto him.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest he be wise in {Hebrew: his own eyes.}his own conceit.
He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool
Cutteth off his own feet, and drinketh in damage.
The legs of the lame hang loose;
So is a parable in the mouth of fools.
As one that bindeth a stone in a sling,
So is he that giveth honor to a fool.
As a thorn that goeth up into the hand of a drunkard,
So is a parable in the mouth of fools.
{Or, A master worker formeth all things; But he that hireth the fool is as one that hireth them that pass by The Hebrew text is obscure.}As an archer that woundeth all,
So is he that hireth a fool and he that hireth them that pass by.
As a dog that returneth to his vomit,
So is a fool that repeateth his folly.
Seest thou a man wise in {Hebrew: his own eyes.}his own conceit?
There is more hope of a fool than of him.
The sluggard saith, There is a lion in the way;
A lion is in the streets.
As the door turneth upon its hinges,
So doth the sluggard upon his bed.
The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish;
It wearieth him to bring it again to his mouth.
The sluggard is wiser in {Hebrew: his own eyes.}his own conceit
Than seven men that can {Or, answer discreetly}render a reason.
{Or, He that rexeth himself…is like one that taketh a passing dog &c.}He that passeth by, and vexeth himself with strife belonging not to him,
Is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.
As a madman who casteth firebrands,
Arrows, and death,
So is the man that deceiveth his neighbor,
And saith, Am not I in sport?
For lack of wood the fire goeth out;
And where there is no whisperer, contention ceaseth.
As coals are to hot embers, and wood to fire,
So is a contentious man to inflame strife.
The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels,
And they go down into the innermost parts.
Fervent lips and a wicked heart
Are like an earthen vessel overlaid with silver dross.
He that hateth dissembleth with his lips;
But he layeth up deceit within him:
When he speaketh fair, believe him not;
For there are seven abominations in his heart:
Though his hatred cover itself with guile,
His wickedness shall be openly showed before the assembly.
Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein;
And he that rolleth a stone, it shall return upon him.
A lying tongue hateth those whom it hath {Hebrew: crushed.}wounded;
And a flattering mouth worketh ruin.
Querverweise zu Sprüche 26,4 Spr 26,4
The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water:Therefore leave off contention, before there is quarrelling.
And the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and passed {Or, to Zaphon}northward; and they said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thy house upon thee with fire.
And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye saved me not out of their hand.
And when I saw that ye saved me not, I put my life in my hand, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and Jehovah delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?
Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye are fugitives of Ephraim, ye Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim, and in the midst of Manasseh.
And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan {Or, towards Ephraim}against the Ephraimites. And it was so, that, when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me go over, the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;
then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth; and he said Sibboleth; for he could not frame to pronounce it right: then they laid hold on him, and slew him at the fords of the Jordan. And there fell at that time of Ephraim forty and two thousand.
And, behold, all the men of Israel came to the king, and said unto the king, Why have our brethren the men of Judah stolen thee away, and brought the king, and his household, over the Jordan, and all David's men with him?
And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because the king is near of kin to us: wherefore then are ye angry for this matter? have we eaten at all at the king's cost? or hath he given us any gift?
And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more right in David than ye: why then did ye despise us, {Or, and were we not the first to speak of bringing back our king?}that our advice should not be first had in bringing back our king? And the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.
and spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
And when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents.
Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face.
And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The {Or, thorn}thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trod down the thistle.
Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thy heart hath lifted thee up: glory thereof, and abide at home; for why shouldest thou {Or, provoke calamity}meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?
For hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps:
who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not; but committed {Or, his cause}himself to him that judgeth righteously:
not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing; for hereunto were ye called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
But Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.