58 verses about foolishness

Please don’t let my lord pay attention to this worthless fellow, Nabal; for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him; but I, your servant, didn’t see my lord’s young men, whom you sent.

The king answered them roughly; and king Rehoboam abandoned the counsel of the old men,

For resentment kills the foolish man, and jealousy kills the simple.

The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge; but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.

For the backsliding of the simple will kill them. The careless ease of fools will destroy them.

Wise men lay up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near ruin.

He who troubles his own house shall inherit the wind. The foolish shall be servant to the wise of heart.

Every prudent man acts from knowledge, but a fool exposes folly.

Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands.

Stay away from a foolish man, for you won’t find knowledge on his lips.

The wisdom of the prudent is to think about his way, but the folly of fools is deceit.

He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a quick temper displays folly.

The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of fools gush out folly.

The heart of one who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.

Understanding is a fountain of life to one who has it, but the punishment of fools is their folly.

Let a bear robbed of her cubs meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.

The foolishness of man subverts his way; his heart rages against Yahweh.

It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife; but every fool will be quarreling.

There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man swallows it up.

Yes, you will be as he who lies down in the middle of the sea, or as he who lies on top of the rigging:

Like snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.

A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools!

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.

Like a thorn bush that goes into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

As a dog that returns to his vomit, so is a fool who repeats his folly.

A stone is heavy, and sand is a burden; but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.

Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain, yet his foolishness will not be removed from him.

If a wise man goes to court with a foolish man, the fool rages or scoffs, and there is no peace.

I said of laughter, “It is foolishness”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?”

When you vow a vow to God, don’t defer to pay it; for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay that which you vow.

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?

The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips.

The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

The labor of fools wearies every one of them; for he doesn’t know how to go to the city.

But they are together brutish and foolish, instructed by idols! It is just wood.

Every man has become brutish and without knowledge. Every goldsmith is disappointed by his engraved image; for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

For verily they went astray very far in the ways of error, Taking as gods those animals which even among their enemies were held in dishonor, Deceived like foolish babes.

While then he takes thought for it that it may not fall down, Knowing that it is unable to help itself; (For verily it is an image, and has need of help;)

But most foolish were they all, and of feebler soul than a babe, The enemies of your people, who oppressed them;

As an arrow that sticks in the flesh of the thigh, So is a word in a fool’s belly.

He that is wise in words will make himself beloved; But the pleasantries of fools will be wasted.

Better is a man that hides his folly Than a man that hides his wisdom.

A fool lifts up his voice with laughter; But a clever man will scarce smile quietly.

The discourse of a godly man is always wisdom: But the foolish man changes as the moon.

Drunkenness increases the rage of a fool to his hurt; It diminishes strength, and adds wounds.

Vain and false hopes are for a man void of understanding; And dreams give wings to fools.

so they perished, because they had no wisdom, they perished through their own foolishness.

Everyone who hears these words of mine, and doesn’t do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand.

Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them,

The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’

Or perhaps, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, everyone who sees begins to mock him,

For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn’t know God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe.

That which I speak, I don’t speak according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting.

For you bear with the foolish gladly, being wise.

I speak by way of disparagement, as though we had been weak. Yet in whatever way anyone is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also.