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Monday, July 7th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

Complete Jewish Bible

Proverbs 14:7

Keep clear of a fool, for you won't hear a sensible word from him.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Company;   Fellowship;   Fool;   Wisdom;   The Topic Concordance - Counsel;   Hearing;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Alliance and Society with the Enemies of God;   Fools;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, Book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Presence;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Stay away from a foolish person;you will gain no knowledge from his speech.
Hebrew Names Version
Stay away from a foolish man, For you won't find knowledge on his lips.
King James Version
Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.
English Standard Version
Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge.
New American Standard Bible
Leave the presence of a fool, Or you will not discern words of knowledge.
New Century Version
Stay away from fools, because they can't teach you anything.
New English Translation
Leave the presence of a foolish person, or you will not understand wise counsel.
Amplified Bible
Leave the presence of a [shortsighted] fool, For you will not find knowledge or hear godly wisdom from his lips.
World English Bible
Stay away from a foolish man, For you won't find knowledge on his lips.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Depart from the foolish man, when thou perceiuest not in him the lippes of knowledge.
Legacy Standard Bible
Leave the presence of a fool,As you have not known lips of knowledge there.
Berean Standard Bible
Stay away from a foolish man; you will gain no knowledge from his speech.
Contemporary English Version
Stay away from fools, or you won't learn a thing.
Darby Translation
Go from the presence of a foolish man, in whom thou perceivest not the lips of knowledge.
Easy-to-Read Version
Stay away from fools, there is nothing they can teach you.
George Lamsa Translation
Everything is a hindrance to a foolish man; but the lips of a wise man are like a weapon.
Good News Translation
Stay away from foolish people; they have nothing to teach you.
Lexham English Bible
Leave the presence of a foolish man, for you will not come to know words of knowledge.
Literal Translation
Go from before a foolish man, or you will not know the lips of knowledge.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Se yt thou medle not with a foole, & do as though thou haddest no knowlege.
American Standard Version
Go into the presence of a foolish man, And thou shalt not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.
Bible in Basic English
Go away from the foolish man, for you will not see the lips of knowledge.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Go from the presence of a foolish man, for thou wilt not perceive the lips of knowledge.
King James Version (1611)
Goe from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceiuest not in him the lippes of knowledge.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Get thee from a foolishe man, when thou perceauest not in hym the lippes of knowledge.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
All things are adverse to a foolish man; but wise lips are the weapons of discretion.
English Revised Version
Go into the presence of a foolish man, and thou shalt not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Go thou ayens a man a fool; and he schal not knowe the lippis of prudence.
Update Bible Version
Go into the presence of a foolish man, And you shall not perceive [in him] the lips of knowledge.
Webster's Bible Translation
Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not [in him] the lips of knowledge.
New King James Version
Go from the presence of a foolish man, When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.
New Living Translation
Stay away from fools, for you won't find knowledge on their lips.
New Life Bible
Go away from a foolish man, for you will not find words of much learning.
New Revised Standard
Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not find words of knowledge.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Get thee from the presence of a man that is a dullard, when thou perceivest not the lips of knowledge.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Go against a foolish man, and he knoweth not the lips of prudence.
Revised Standard Version
Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge.
Young's Literal Translation
Go from before a foolish man, Or thou hast not known the lips of knowledge.
THE MESSAGE
Escape quickly from the company of fools; they're a waste of your time, a waste of your words.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Leave the presence of a fool, Or you will not discern words of knowledge.

Contextual Overview

7 Keep clear of a fool, for you won't hear a sensible word from him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Proverbs 9:6, Proverbs 13:20, Proverbs 19:27, 1 Corinthians 5:11, Ephesians 5:11

Reciprocal: Jeremiah 28:11 - Thus

Cross-References

Genesis 14:1
(iv) When Amrafel was king of Shin‘ar, Aryokh king of Elasar, K'dorla‘omer king of ‘Elam and Tid‘al king of Goyim;
Genesis 14:8
Then the kings of S'dom, ‘Amora, Admah, Tzvoyim and Bela (that is, Tzo‘ar) came out and arrayed themselves for battle in the Siddim Valley
Genesis 14:12
But as they left, they took Lot, Avram's brother's son, and his possessions; since he was living in S'dom.
Genesis 14:16
He recovered all the goods and brought back his nephew Lot with his goods, together with the women and the other people.
Genesis 16:14
This is why the well has been called Be'er-Lachai-Ro'i [well of the one who lives and sees]; it lies between Kadesh and Bered.
Genesis 20:1
Avraham traveled from there toward the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. While living as an alien in G'rar,
Genesis 36:12
Timnah was the concubine of Elifaz ‘Esav's son, and she bore to Elifaz ‘Amalek. These were the descendants of ‘Adah ‘Esav's wife.
Genesis 36:16
Korach, Ga‘tam and ‘Amalek. These were the chieftains descended from Elifaz in Edom and from ‘Adah.
Numbers 13:26
and went to Moshe, Aharon and the entire community of the people of Isra'el at Kadesh in the Pa'ran Desert, where they brought back word to them and to the entire community and showed them the fruit of the land.
Numbers 14:43
The ‘Amalekim and the Kena‘anim are there ahead of you, and you will be struck down by the sword. The reason will be that you have turned away from following Adonai , so that Adonai won't be with you."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Go from the presence of a foolish man,.... A wicked one; avoid him, shun his company, depart from him, have no fellowship with him, it, being dangerous, infectious, and hurtful;

when thou perceivest not [in him] the lips of knowledge; when it is observed that his lips pour out foolishness, what is corrupt and unsavoury, unchaste and filthy; what does not minister grace to the hearers, nor is for the use of edifying, nor any ways improving in useful knowledge, but all the reverse: the Targum is,

"for there is no knowledge in his lips,''

in what is expressed by them; some understand this ironically, and render the words thus, "go right against a foolish man" f; join in company with him, "and thou shalt not know the lips of knowledge", or learn anything by him; if you have a mind to be ignorant, keep company with a foolish man; so Jarchi and Gersom: or rather to this sense the words may be rendered, "go to a foolish man, seeing thou knowest not the lips of knowledge" g, since thou dost not approve of wise and knowing men, whose lips would teach knowledge; and despisest the Gospel, and Gospel ministers the pope of Rome, as Cocceius on the text serves, and hear him, what his holiness and infallibility says; or some other false teacher.

f לכ מנגד לאיש כסיל "e regione viri stulti", De Dieu; so Gussetius, p. 495. and Schultens g "Abi ut stes cora in viro stolido", Cocceius.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 14:7. When thou perceivest not - the lips of knowledge. — Instead of דעת daath, knowledge, several MSS. have שקר sheker, a lie. How this reading came I cannot conjecture. The meaning of the adage is plain: Never associate with a vain, empty fellow, when thou perceivest he can neither convey nor receive instruction.


 
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