Proverbs 26:6 
Context| NET © | Like cutting off the feet or drinking violence, 1 so is sending 2 a message by the hand of a fool. 3 |
| NIV © | Like cutting off one’s feet or drinking violence is the sending of a message by the hand of a fool. |
| NASB © | He cuts off his own feet and drinks violence Who sends a message by the hand of a fool. |
| NLT © | Trusting a fool to convey a message is as foolish as cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison! |
| MSG © | You're only asking for trouble when you send a message by a fool. |
| BBE © | He who sends news by the hand of a foolish man is cutting off his feet and drinking in damage. |
| NRSV © | It is like cutting off one’s foot and drinking down violence, to send a message by a fool. |
| NKJV © | He who sends a message by the hand of a fool Cuts off his own feet and drinks violence. |
| KJV | |
| NASB © | |
| HEBREW | |
| LXXM | |
| NET © [draft] ITL | |
| NET © | Like cutting off the feet or drinking violence, 1 so is sending 2 a message by the hand of a fool. 3 |
| NET © Notes |
1 sn Sending a messenger on a mission is like having another pair of feet. But if the messenger is a fool, this proverb says, not only does the sender not have an extra pair of feet – he cuts off the pair he has. It would not be simply that the message did not get through; it would get through incorrectly and be a setback! The other simile uses “violence,” a term for violent social wrongs and injustice. The metaphorical idea of “drinking” violence means suffering violence – it is one’s portion. So sending a fool on a mission will have injurious consequences. 2 tn The participle could be taken as the subject of the sentence: “the one who sends…cuts off…and drinks.” 3 sn The consequence is given in the first line and the cause in the second. It would be better not to send a message at all than to use a fool as messenger. |
