*SPLAT*

Remember Laura and Rob Petri? Characters played by Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke? An old black and white TV show with his name in the title?

The opening credit sequence?

Him stumbling over part of a living room chair?

Felt like that again today.

Tripped over Proverbs 18:2 and went splat.

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. Ouch. That’s how the English Standard Version says it.

Gotta find a better one.

Grabbed Gene Peterson’s version The Message. It’s usually helpful. Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse; all they do is run off at the mouth. Double ouch.

Last call: The Orthodox Jewish Bible! That’ll clean things out and clear the air! A fool has no delight in understanding, but only in airing out his mind and his opinions. Ouch. Ouch. That really stings.

Three versions, one verse.

Simple and direct.

I get it.

You?