If you correct conceited people, you will only be insulted. If you reprimand evil people, you will only get hurt.

Never correct conceited people; they will hate you for it. But if you correct the wise, they will respect you.

If you answer a silly question, you are just as silly as the person who asked it.

Give a silly answer to a silly question, and the one who asked it will realize that he's not as smart as he thinks.

The people kept quiet, just as King Hezekiah had told them to; they did not say a word.

"Do not give what is holy to dogs---they will only turn and attack you. Do not throw your pearls in front of pigs---they will only trample them underfoot.

When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy; they disputed what Paul was saying and insulted him.

But Paul and Barnabas spoke out even more boldly: "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we will leave you and go to the Gentiles.

So they left, disagreeing among themselves, after Paul had said this one thing: "How well the Holy Spirit spoke through the prophet Isaiah to your ancestors!

because this people's minds are dull, and they have stopped up their ears and closed their eyes. Otherwise, their eyes would see, their ears would hear, their minds would understand, and they would turn to me, says God, and I would heal them.' "

When the Pharisees heard all this, they made fun of Jesus, because they loved money.

They said to him, "Now we know for sure that you have a demon! Abraham died, and the prophets died, yet you say that whoever obeys your teaching will never die.

The man answered, "What a strange thing that is! You do not know where he comes from, but he cured me of my blindness!

Since the beginning of the world nobody has ever heard of anyone giving sight to a person born blind.

They answered, "You were born and brought up in sin---and you are trying to teach us?" And they expelled him from the synagogue.

Many of them were saying, "He has a demon! He is crazy! Why do you listen to him?"

Certain Epicurean and Stoic teachers also debated with him. Some of them asked, "What is this ignorant show-off trying to say?" Others answered, "He seems to be talking about foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching about Jesus and the resurrection.

When they heard Paul speak about a raising from death, some of them made fun of him, but others said, "We want to hear you speak about this again."

For God in his wisdom made it impossible for people to know him by means of their own wisdom. Instead, by means of the so-called "foolish" message we preach, God decided to save those who believe.

As for us, we proclaim the crucified Christ, a message that is offensive to the Jews and nonsense to the Gentiles;

For Christ's sake we are fools; but you are wise in union with Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! We are despised, but you are honored!

we wear ourselves out with hard work. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure;