Immerse: Poets Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 253
26:14–27:2
P ro v er b s
As a door swings back and forth on its hinges,
so the lazy person turns over in bed.
Lazy people take food in their hand
but don’t even lift it to their mouth.
Lazy people consider themselves smarter
than seven wise counselors.
Interfering in someone else’s argument
is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears.
Just as damaging
as a madman shooting a deadly weapon
is someone who lies to a friend
and then says, “I was only joking.”
Fire goes out without wood,
and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.
A quarrelsome person starts fights
as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.
Rumors are dainty morsels
that sink deep into one’s heart.
Smooth words may hide a wicked heart,
just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.
People may cover their hatred with pleasant words,
but they’re deceiving you.
They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them.
Their hearts are full of many evils.
While their hatred may be concealed by trickery,
their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.
If you set a trap for others,
you will get caught in it yourself.
If you roll a boulder down on others,
it will crush you instead.
A lying tongue hates its victims,
and flattering words cause ruin.
Don’t brag about tomorrow,
since you don’t know what the day will bring.
Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth—
a stranger, not your own lips.
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