Proverbs 26.4-5

type: passage created: 2026-05-06 updated: 2026-05-06 book: Proverbs chapter: 26 verses: "4-5" translation_default: ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT tags: [scripture] citation_count: 1 enriched: false

Quoted in

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."

"6. 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."

"6. 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}"

"6. 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."

"6. 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)

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.