Passage

Proverbs 26.4-5

Book: Proverbs · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

2. As the sparrow in her wandering, as the swallow in her flying, So the curse that is causeless alighteth not. 3. A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, And a rod for the back of fools.

4. Answer not a fool according to his folly, Lest thou also be like unto him. 5. Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own conceit.

He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool Cutteth off his own feet, and drinketh in damage. 7. The legs of the lame hang loose: So is a parable in the mouth of fools. (Proverbs 26:2-7, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

2. Like a fluttering sparrow, like a darting swallow, so the undeserved curse doesn’t come to rest. 3. A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools!

4. Don’t answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him. 5. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.

One who sends a message by the hand of a fool is cutting off feet and drinking violence. 7. Like the legs of the lame that hang loose, so is a parable in the mouth of fools. (Proverbs 26:2-7, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

2. As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come. 3. A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.

4. Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. 5. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. ^{conceit: Heb. eyes}

He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage. ^{damage: or, violence} 7. The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools. ^{are: Heb. are lifted up} (Proverbs 26:2-7, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

2. As a bird by wandering, as a swallow by flying, So reviling without cause doth not come. 3. A whip is for a horse, a bridle for an ass, And a rod for the back of fools.

4. Answer not a fool according to his folly, Lest thou be like to him, even thou. 5. Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.

He is cutting off feet, he is drinking injury, Who is sending things by the hand of a fool. 7. Weak have been the two legs of the lame, And a parable in the mouth of fools. (Proverbs 26:2-7, YLT)

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Setting

Speaker: Solomon (principal); Agur; Lemuel; wise men
Audience: young Israelite men in the wisdom tradition
Location: Israel, Solomonic court
Time period: principal composition c. 970-930 BC (Solomon); compilation c. 700 BC (Hezekiah)

Theological reading

Key words

No Strong's-tagged lexicon matches found in this passage. (Lexicon coverage is curated, ~159 of the most apologetically-loaded Greek/Hebrew terms.)

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.

Quoted in

Concepts:

Laws of Logic