Don’t answer a foolish person in keeping with their foolish acts. If you do, you yourself will be just like them.

不要照愚昧人的愚妄话回答他，恐怕你与他一样。

不要照愚昧人的愚昧话回答他，免得你与他一样。

不要照愚昧人的愚昧话回答他，免得你与他一样。

别照愚人的愚昧回答他，免得你像他一样。

不要照着愚昧人的愚妄回答他，免得你像他一样。

不要照着愚昧人的愚妄回应他，免得你也像他一样。

不要照愚昧人的愚妄話回答他，恐怕你與他一樣。

不要照愚昧人的愚昧話回答他，免得你與他一樣。

不要照愚昧人的愚昧話回答他，免得你與他一樣。

別照愚人的愚昧回答他，免得你像他一樣。

不要照著愚昧人的愚妄回答他，免得你像他一樣。

不要照愚頑人的愚妄話回答他，免得你也跟他一樣。

不要照著愚昧人的愚妄回應他，免得你也像他一樣。

應對蠢人、勿循其蠢、恐爾同乎其人、

維爾居恆、勿即愚人之意還詰愚人、恐人謂爾與彼無異、有時則可、恐彼自以為智。

愚人言癡、爾勿應之、恐爾亦癡、與彼無異、

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him.

Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.

Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are.

Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness or you’ll be like him yourself.

Do not answer a fool according to his foolishness, Or you will also be like him.

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him.

Answer not a fool according to his folly, Lest thou also be like unto him.

Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness or you’ll be like him yourself.

Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you yourself also be like him.

Don’t answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him.

Answer a foolish person in keeping with their foolish acts. If you do not, they will be wise in their own eyes.

Don’t pay back evil with evil. Don’t pay back unkind words with unkind words. Instead, pay back evil with kind words. This is what you have been chosen to do. You will receive a blessing by doing this.

The troops of Ephraim were called out. The troops went across the Jordan River to Zaphon. When they arrived, they said to Jephthah,“ You went to fight against the Ammonites. Why didn’t you ask us to go with you? We’re going to burn down your house over your head.”Jephthah answered,“ I and my people were taking part in a great struggle. We were at war with the Ammonites. I asked you for help. But you didn’t come to save me from their power.I saw that you wouldn’t help. So I put my own life in danger. I went across the Jordan to fight against the Ammonites. The Lord helped me win the battle over them. So why have you come up today to fight against me?”Then Jephthah called the men of Gilead together. They fought against Ephraim. The men of Gilead struck them down. The people of Ephraim had said,“ You people of Gilead are nothing but deserters from Ephraim and Manasseh.”The men of Gilead captured the places where people go across the Jordan River to get to Ephraim. Some men of Ephraim weren’t killed in the battle. When they arrived at the river, they would say,“ Let us go across.” Then the men of Gilead would ask each one,“ Are you from Ephraim?” Suppose he replied,“ No.”Then they would say,“ All right. Say‘ Shibboleth.’ ” If he said“ Sibboleth,” the way he said the word would give him away. He couldn’t say it correctly. So they would grab him. Then they would kill him at one of the places where people go across the Jordan. At that time, 42,000 men of Ephraim were killed.

Instead, he followed the advice of the young men. He said,“ My father put a heavy load on your shoulders. But I’ll make it even heavier. My father beat you with whips. But I’ll beat you with bigger whips.”

All the Israelites saw that the king refused to listen to them. So they answered the king. They said,“ We don’t have any share in David’s royal family. We don’t have any share in Jesse’s son. People of Israel, let’s go back to our homes. David’s royal family, take care of your own kingdom!” So the Israelites went home.

Soon all the men of Israel were coming to the king. They were saying to him,“ Why did the men of Judah take you away from us? They are our relatives. What right did they have to bring you and your family across the Jordan River? What right did they have to bring all your men over with you?”All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel. They said,“ We did that because the king is our close relative. So why should you be angry about what happened? Have we eaten any of the king’s food? Have we taken anything for ourselves?”Then the men of Israel answered the men of Judah. They said,“ We have ten of the 12 tribes in the kingdom. So we have a stronger claim on David than you have. Why then are you acting as if you hate us? Weren’t we the first ones to talk about bringing back our king?” But the men of Judah argued their side even more forcefully than the men of Israel.

But the people remained silent. They didn’t say anything. That’s because King Hezekiah had commanded,“ Don’t answer him.”

Starting to argue is like making a crack in a dam. So drop the matter before a fight breaks out.

After the battle, Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the king of Israel. Jehoash was the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu. Amaziah said,“ Come on. Let us face each other in battle.”But Jehoash, the king of Israel, answered Amaziah, the king of Judah. Jehoash said,“ A thorn bush in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar tree there. The thorn bush said,‘ Give your daughter to be married to my son.’ Then a wild animal in Lebanon came along. It crushed the thorn bush by walking on it.It’s true that you have won the battle over Edom. So you are proud. Enjoy your success while you can. But stay home and enjoy it! Why ask for trouble? Why bring yourself crashing down? Why bring Judah down with you?”

You were chosen to do good even if you suffer. That’s because Christ suffered for you. He left you an example that he expects you to follow.Scripture says,“ He didn’t commit any sin. No lies ever came out of his mouth.”( Isaiah 53:9)People shouted at him and made fun of him. But he didn’t do the same thing back to them. When he suffered, he didn’t say he would make them suffer. Instead, he trusted in the God who judges fairly.

But even Michael, the leader of the angels, didn’t dare to say these things. He didn’t even say these things when he argued with the devil about the body of Moses. Michael didn’t dare to judge the devil. He didn’t say the devil was guilty of saying evil things. Instead, Michael said,“ May the Lord judge you!”