(from Eugene Peterson’s translation of the Bible)

A sage trying to work things out with a fool gets only scorn and sarcasm for his trouble.

A fool lets it all hang out; a sage quietly mulls it over.

Observe the people who always talk before they think – even simpletons are better off than they are.

The skeptic swore, ‘There is no God! No God! – I can do anything I want!’

God, I’m praying for two things before I die; don’t refuse me – Banish lies from my lips and liars from my presence. Give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little.

Three things amaze me, no, four things I’ll never understand – how an eagle flies so high in the sky, how a snake glides over a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, why adolescents act the way they do.

If you’re dumb enough to call attention to yourself by offending people and making rude gestures, Don’t be surprised if someone bloodies your nose.

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Shalom!

Rowland Croucher