Proverbs 18:13

The one who gives an answer ¹  before he listens ²  – that is his folly and his shame. ³ 

He who answers before listening—that is his folly and his shame.

He who gives an answer before he hears, It is folly and shame to him.

What a shame, what folly, to give advice before listening to the facts!

Answering before listening is both stupid and rude.

To give an answer before hearing is a foolish thing and a cause of shame.

If one gives answer before hearing, it is folly and shame.

He who answers a matter before he hears it , It is folly and shame to him.

The one who gives an answer ¹  before he listens ²  – that is his folly and his shame. ³ 

¹ tn Heb “returns a word”; KJV “He that answereth a matter.”

² sn Poor listening and premature answering indicate that the person has a low regard for what the other is saying, or that he is too absorbed in his own ideas. The Mishnah lists this as the second characteristic of the uncultured person (m. Avot 5:7).

³ tn Heb “it is folly to him and shame.” The verse uses formal parallelism, with the second colon simply completing the thought of the first.