A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.
On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.
What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?
Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.
I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them—
being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him.
Condemnation is ready for scoffers, and beating for the backs of fools.
Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence; reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.
A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.
So he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” And the officials of Succoth said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?” So Gideon said, “Well then, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.”
Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com.