Proverbs 26:6

Amplified Bible

He who sends a message by the hand of a fool Cuts off his own feet (sabotages himself) and drinks the violence [it brings on himself as a consequence].

Parallel Translations

New Living Translation
Trusting a fool to convey a message is like cutting off one's feet or drinking poison!

Update Bible Version
He that sends a message by the hand of a fool Cuts off [his own] feet, [and] drinks crime.

New Century Version
Sending a message by a foolish person is like cutting off your feet or drinking poison.

New English Translation
Like cutting off the feet or drinking violence, so is sending a message by the hand of a fool.

Webster's Bible Translation
He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, [and] drinketh damage.

World English Bible
One who sends a message by the hand of a fool Is cutting off feet and drinking violence.

English Standard Version
Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
An haltinge man in feet, and drinkinge wickidnesse, he that sendith wordis by a fonned messanger.

English Revised Version
He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off his own feet, and drinketh in damage.

Berean Standard Bible
Like cutting off one's own feet or drinking violence is the sending of a message by the hand of a fool.

Contemporary English Version
Sending a message by a fool is like chopping off your foot and drinking poison.

American Standard Version
He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool Cutteth off his own feet, and drinketh in damage.

Bible in Basic English
He who sends news by the hand of a foolish man is cutting off his feet and drinking in damage.

Complete Jewish Bible
Telling a message to a fool and sending him out is like cutting off one's feet and drinking violence.

Darby Translation
He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off [his own] feet, [and] drinketh damage.

Easy-to-Read Version
Never let a fool carry your message. If you do, it will be like cutting off your own feet. You are only asking for trouble.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off his own feet, and drinketh damage.

King James Version (1611)
He that sendeth a message by the hand of a foole, cutteth off the feete, and drinketh dammage.

New Life Bible
He who sends a letter by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and brings trouble upon himself.

New Revised Standard
It is like cutting off one's foot and drinking down violence, to send a message by a fool.

Geneva Bible (1587)
He that sendeth a message by the hand of a foole, is as he that cutteth off the feete, and drinketh iniquitie.

George Lamsa Translation
He who sends a message by the hand of a fool drinks iniquity from under his own feet.

Good News Translation
If you let a fool deliver a message, you might as well cut off your own feet; you are asking for trouble.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
One who cutteth off feet, one who drinketh down wrong, is he who sendeth a message by the hand of a dullard.

Douay-Rheims Bible
He that sendeth words by a foolish messenger, is lame of feet and drinketh iniquity.

Revised Standard Version
He who sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
[As he that] cutteth of [his messengers] feete endamageth himselfe: so doth he that committeth a message to a foole.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Give strong drink to those that are in sorrow, and the wine to drink to those in pain:

Christian Standard Bible®
The one who sends a message by a fool’s handcuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

Hebrew Names Version
One who sends a message by the hand of a fool Is cutting off feet and drinking violence.

King James Version
He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage.

Lexham English Bible
Like cutting off feet or drinking violence, so is he who sends messages in the hand of a fool.

Literal Translation
He that sends a message by a fool's hand cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

Young's Literal Translation
He is cutting off feet, he is drinking injury, Who is sending things by the hand of a fool.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He is lame of his fete, yee droncken is he in vanite, that comitteth eny thinge to a foole.

THE MESSAGE
You're only asking for trouble when you send a message by a fool.

New American Standard Bible
One who sends a message by the hand of a fool Chops off his own feet and drinks violence.

New King James Version
He who sends a message by the hand of a fool Cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
He cuts off his own feet and drinks violence Who sends a message by the hand of a fool.

Legacy Standard Bible
He cuts off his own feet and drinks violenceWho sends words by the hand of a fool.

Contextual Overview

⁶He who sends a message by the hand of a fool Cuts off his own feet (sabotages himself) and drinks the violence [it brings on himself as a consequence]. ⁷Like the legs which are useless to the lame, So is a proverb in the mouth of a fool [who cannot learn from its wisdom]. ⁸Like one who [absurdly] binds a stone in a sling [making it impossible to throw], So is he who [absurdly] gives honor to a fool. ⁹Like a thorn that goes [without being felt] into the hand of a drunken man, So is a proverb in the mouth of a fool [who remains unaffected by its wisdom].

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

sendeth: Proverbs 10:26, Proverbs 13:17, Proverbs 25:13, Numbers 13:31

damage: or, violence

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 16:12 - by Jehu the prophet Jeremiah 37:2 - the prophet Daniel 6:2 - and the

Cross-References

Genesis 20:1
Now Abraham journeyed from there toward the Negev (the South country), and settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he lived temporarily in Gerar.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool,.... Who knows not how to deliver it in a proper manner, and is incapable of taking the answer, and reporting it as he should; or unfaithful in it, and brings a bad or false report, as the spies did upon the good land;

cutteth off the feet; he may as well cut off his feet before he sends him, or send a man without feet, as such an one; for prudence, diligence, and faithfulness in doing a message, and bringing back the answer, are as necessary to a messenger as his feet are;

[and] drinketh damage; to himself; his message not being rightly performed, and business not done well; which is a loss to the sender, as well as to his credit and reputation with the person to whom he sends him; he hereby concluding that he must be a man of no great judgment and sense to send such a fool on his errand. Such are the unskilful ambassadors of princes; and such are unfaithful ministers, the messengers of the churches; see Proverbs 10:26. The words in the original are three sentences, without a copulative, and stand in this order, "[he] that cutteth off feet; [he] that drinketh damage; [he] that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool"; that is, they are alike.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Cutteth off the feet - Mutilates him, spoils the work which the messenger ought to fulfill.

Drinketh damage - i. e., “has to drink full draughts of shame and loss” (compare Job 15:16).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 26:6. Cutteth off the feet — Sending by such a person is utterly useless. My old MS. Bible translates well: Halt in feet and drinking wickednesse that sendith wordis bi a foole messager. Nothing but lameness in himself can vindicate his sending it by such hands; and, after all, the expedient will be worse than the total omission, for he is likely to drink wickedness, i.e., the mischief occasioned by the fool's misconduct. Coverdale nearly hits the sense as usual: "He is lame of his fete, yee dronken is he in vanite, that committeth eny thinge to a foole."