| Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. | He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed. |
| The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. | The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. |
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| When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. | When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed. |
| Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious, but fools are consumed by their own lips. | The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up. |
| Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end. | A fool vents all his feelings, But a wise man holds them back. |
| Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult. | A fool’s wrath is known at once, But a prudent man covers shame. |
| The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating. | A fool’s lips enter into contention, And his mouth calls for blows. |
| Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues. | Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive. |
| Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. | A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart. |
| And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. | A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray. |
| Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. | Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. |
| Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. | See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. |
| It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. | It is honorable for a man to stop striving, Since any fool can start a quarrel. |
| The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin. | The wise in heart will receive commands, But a prating fool will fall. |
