4. Do not answer a fool according to his folly lest you become like him—even you.
5. Answer a fool according to his folly, or else he will be wise in his own eyes.
6. Like cutting off feet or drinking violence, so is he who sends messages in the hand of a fool.
7. Like legs that hang limp from a lame person, so is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
8. Like binding a stone in a sling, so is giving honor to a fool.
9. Like a thorn that goes up in the hand of a drunkard, so is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
10. Like an archer who wounds everyone, so is he who hires a fool or he who hires passersby.
11. Like a dog returning to his vomit is a fool reverting to his folly.
12. Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
13. A lazy person says “A lion is in the road! A lion among the streets!”
14. The door turns on its hinge, and a lazy person on his bed.
15. A lazy person buries his hands in the dish; he is too tired to return it to his mouth.
16. A lazy person is wiser in his eyes than seven who answer discreetly.