fools

²The foolish do not accept words of prudence, unless you say what is already turning in his heart.

¹¹A foolish one offers everything on his mind. A wise one reserves and defers until later.

⁷The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The foolish despise wisdom as well as doctrine.

¹⁴The wise store away knowledge. But the mouth of the foolish is a neighbor to confusion.

⁹A wise man, if he were to contend with the foolish, whether in anger or in laughter, would find no rest.

⁷The mouth of the foolish is his destruction, and his own lips are the ruin of his soul.

⁹The end of a speech is better than the beginning. Patience is better than arrogance.

⁶The lips of the foolish meddle in disputes. And his mouth provokes conflicts.

²²But I say to you, that anyone who becomes angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment. But whoever will have called his brother, ‘Idiot,’ shall be liable to the council. Then, whoever will have called him, ‘Worthless,’ shall be liable to the fires of Hell.

¹Unto the end. A Psalm of David. The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They were corrupted, and they have become abominable in their studies. There is no one who does good; there is not even one. ²The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there were any who were considering or seeking God. ³They have all gone astray; together they have become useless. There is no one who does good; there is not even one. Their throat is an open sepulcher. With their tongues, they have been acting deceitfully; the venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Grief and unhappiness are in their ways; and the way of peace, they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. ⁴Will they never learn: all those who work iniquity, who devour my people like a meal of bread?

⁷The lips of the wise shall disseminate knowledge. The heart of the foolish will be dissimilar.

⁷Go against a foolish man, and he does not acknowledge lips of prudence. ⁸The wisdom of a discerning man is to understand his way. And the imprudence of the foolish is to be wandering astray. ⁹The foolish will speak mockingly of sin. But grace lingers among the just.

²³The foolish work wickedness as if in jest. But wisdom is prudence to a man.

³For, in times past, we ourselves were also unwise, unbelieving, erring, servants of various desires and pleasures, acting with malice and envy, being hateful and hating one another.

¹⁵The way of the foolish is right in his own eyes. But whoever is wise listens to counsels.

²⁶And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them shall be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand.