Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

Is this how you repay ¹  the Lord, you foolish, unwise people? Is he not your father, your creator? He has made you and established you.

I myself ¹  have seen the fool ²  taking root, but suddenly I cursed his place of residence. ³ 

Rise up, O God! Defend your honor! ¹  Remember how fools insult you all day long! ² 

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, ¹  lest you yourself also be like him. ² 

They have made me jealous ¹  with false gods, ²  enraging me with their worthless gods; ³  so I will make them jealous with a people they do not recognize, ⁴  with a nation slow to learn ⁵  I will enrage them.

For we too were once foolish, disobedient, misled, enslaved to various passions and desires, spending our lives in evil and envy, hateful and hating one another.

The Lord answered, ¹  “This will happen ²  because my people are foolish. They do not know me. They are like children who have no sense. ³  They have no understanding. They are skilled at doing evil. They do not know how to do good.”

For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts ¹  were darkened.

This is the destiny of fools, ¹  and of those who approve of their philosophy. ²  (Selah)

Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool; otherwise ¹  you might die before your time.

My wounds ¹  are infected and starting to smell, ²  because of my foolish sins. ³ 

You who are naive, discern ¹  wisdom! And you fools, understand discernment! ² 

The shrewd person ¹  conceals ²  knowledge, but foolish people ³  publicize folly. ⁴ 

The lips of the wise spread ¹  knowledge, but not so the heart of fools. ² 

A foolish scheme ¹  is sin, and the scorner is an abomination to people. ² 

For since you are so wise, you put up with ¹  fools gladly.

who frustrates the omens of the empty talkers ¹  and humiliates ²  the omen readers, who overturns the counsel of the wise men ³  and makes their advice ⁴  seem foolish,

But again I ask, didn’t Israel understand? ¹  First Moses says, “I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; with a senseless nation I will provoke you to anger.” ² 

I thought, “Surely it is only the ignorant poor who act this way. ¹  They act like fools because they do not know what the Lord demands. ²  They do not know what their God requires of them. ³