King James Version

Proverbs 23:9

Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

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Hebrew

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בְּאָזְנֵ֣יbeazenein earאֹזֶןpreposition, noun, common, feminine, dual, construct — “in ear”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH241broadness. i.e. (concrete) the ear (from its form in man)[phrase] advertise, audience, [phrase] displease, ear, hearing, [phrase] show.כְ֭סִילkhesilfoolכְּסִילadjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “fool”, the ordinary formH3684properly, fat, i.e. (figuratively) stupid or sillyfool(-ish).אַלalnotאַלparticle, negative — “not”H408not (the qualified negation, used as a deprecative); once (Job 24:25) as a noun, nothingnay, neither, [phrase] never, no, nor, not, nothing (worth), rather than.תְּדַבֵּ֑רtedaberspeakדָבַרverb, piel, jussive, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “speak”, a wish or indirect commandH1696perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdueanswer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give, name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think, use (entreaties), utter, [idiom] well, [idiom] work.כִּֽיkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “assured”H3588(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexedand, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al-) though, + til…יָ֝ב֗וּזyavuzcontemnבּוּזverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “contemn”, an unfinished actionH936to disrespectcontemn, despise, [idiom] utterly.לְשֵׂ֣כֶלlesekhelto discretionשֶׂכֶלpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “to discretion”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH7922intelligence; by implication, successdiscretion, knowledge, policy, prudence, sense, understanding, wisdom, wise.מִלֶּֽיךָmileykhawordמִלָּהnoun, common, feminine, plural, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “word”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH4405a word; collectively, a discourse; figuratively, a topic[phrase] answer, by-word, matter, any thing (what) to say, to speak(-ing), speak, talking, word.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Speak not in the ears of a fool; for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Speak not in the hearing of a fool; For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

Young’s Literal Translation

In the ears of a fool speak not, For he treadeth on the wisdom of thy words.

World English Bible

Don’t speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

Darby Translation

Speak not in the ears of a foolish [man], for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

Douay-Rheims

Speak not in the ears of fools: because they will despise the instruction of thy speech.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Speak not in the ears of a fool; for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Say nothing in the ears of a fool, lest at any time he sneer at thy wise words.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Εἰς ὦτα ἄφρονος μηδὲν λέγε, μήποτε μυκτηρίσῃ τοὺς συνετοὺς λόγους σου.