Proverbs 26:6
Anyone who asks a foolish person to take a message to someone is himself doing something as foolish as cutting off his own feet or drinking poison.
Translation for Translators
In The King James Version
He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage.
In Context
Cross References
Proverbs 10:26We do not like a lazy person who refuses to do the job that he is given to do, just like we do not like vinegar in our mouths or smoke in our eyes.
Proverbs 25:13A messenger who ◄is reliable/tells someone else exactly what he was told to say► refreshes the spirits of his bosses who sent him like [SIM] ◄snow/cold water► refreshes the ground at the time that people harvest crops.
Matthew Henry on Proverbs 26:5-6
4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. See here the noble security of the scripture-style, which seems to contradict itself, but really does not. Wise men have need to be directed how to deal with fools; and they have never more need of wisdom than in dealing with such, to know when to keep silence and when to speak, for there may be a time for both. 1. In some cases a wise man will not set his wit to… Read the whole commentary →