| Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble. | Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. |
| Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. | The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. |
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| When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. | When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. |
| Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back. | Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end. |
| Wise words bring approval, but fools are destroyed by their own words. | Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious, but fools are consumed by their own lips. |
| Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating. | The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating. |
| Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent. | Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues. |
| Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions. | Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. |
| Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling. | It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. |
| And a great road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness. Evil-minded people will never travel on it. It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways; fools will never walk there. | 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. |
| So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. | Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. |
| The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces. | The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin. |
| A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted. | Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult. |
| Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. | 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. |
