Other translations
American Standard Version
Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with bruised grain, Yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
Aramaic Bible in Plain English
If you strike a fool in the assembly, you do not help him, neither do you remove his foolishness.
Darby Bible Translation
If thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his folly depart from him.
Holy Bible: Douay-Rheims Version (Genuine Leather Black)
Though thou shouldst bray a fool in the mortar, as when a pestle striketh upon sodden barley, his folly would not be taken from him.
ERV 1885 English Revised Version with Strong's Concordance
Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar with a pestle among bruised corn, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
English Standard Version Journaling Bible
Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him.
God's Word
If you crush a stubborn fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain, [even then] his stupidity will not leave him.
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain, you will not separate his foolishness from him.
International Standard Version
Though you crush a fool in a mortar and pestle as someone might crush grain, his stupidity still won't leave him.
NET Bible
If you should pound the fool in the mortar among the grain with the pestle, his foolishness would not depart from him.
New American Standard Bible
Though you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.
New International Version
Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding them like grain with a pestle, you will not remove their folly from them.
New Living Translation
You cannot separate fools from their foolishness, even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.
Webster's Bible Translation
Though thou shouldst bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet his foolishness will not depart from him.
The World English Bible
Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain, yet his foolishness will not be removed from him.
EasyEnglish Bible
Even if you beat a fool with a big stick, as hard as you beat grain, you will never remove all his silly ideas.
Young‘s Literal Translation
If thou dost beat the foolish in a mortar, Among washed things -- with a pestle, His folly turneth not aside from off him.
New Life Version
Even if you crush a fool in a pot used for crushing grain, his foolish way will not leave him.
The Voice Bible
Though you grind a fool like grain in a mortar with a pestle, still his foolishness will not be separated from him.
Living Bible
You can’t separate a rebel from his foolishness though you crush him to powder.
New Catholic Bible
You may use a pestle to pound a fool into a mortar, but his folly will never be driven out of him.
Legacy Standard Bible
Though you pound an ignorant fool in a mortar with a pestle in the midst of crushed grain, His folly will not turn aside from him.
Jubilee Bible 2000
Though thou should bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet his foolishness will not depart from him.
Christian Standard Bible
Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain, you will not separate his foolishness from him.
Amplified Bible © 1954
Even though like grain you should pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
New Century Version
Even if you ground up a foolish person like grain in a bowl, you couldn’t remove the foolishness.
The Message
Pound on a fool all you like— you can’t pound out foolishness.
Evangelical Heritage Version ™
Even if you grind a stubborn fool like grain with a mortar and pestle, his stupidity will not leave him.
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, but the folly will not be driven out.
Good News Translation®
Even if you beat fools half to death, you still can't beat their foolishness out of them.
Wycliffe Bible
Though thou poundedest a fool in a mortar, as with a pestle smiting above dried barley (like pounding dried barley with a pestle), his folly shall not be done away from him.
Contemporary English Version
No matter how hard you beat a fool, you can't pound out the foolishness.
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him.
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, but the folly will not be driven out.
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition
Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, but the folly will not be driven out.
Common English Bible © 2011
Even if you grind fools in a mortar, even grinding them along with the grain, their folly won’t be driven from them.
Amplified Bible © 2015
Even though you pound a [hardened, arrogant] fool [who rejects wisdom] in a mortar with a pestle like grain, Yet his foolishness will not leave him.
English Standard Version Anglicised
Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him.
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Though you pound fools with a pestle, their folly never leaves them.
New American Standard Bible
Though you pound the fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, His foolishness still will not leave him.
The Expanded Bible
Even if you ground up a foolish person like grain in a bowl, you couldn’t remove the foolishness.
Tree of Life Version
Even if you pound the fool along with the grain in a mortar with a pestle, his foolishness would never leave him.
Revised Standard Version
Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him.
New International Reader's Version
Suppose you could grind a foolish person in a mill. Suppose you could grind them as you would grind grain with a tool. Even then you could not remove their foolishness from them.
BRG Bible
Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
Complete Jewish Bible
You can crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle, along with the grain being crushed; yet his foolishness will not leave him.
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised
Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, but the folly will not be driven out.
Orthodox Jewish Bible
Though thou shouldest grind a fool in the makhtesh (mortar) among grain with the pestle, yet will not his folly be removed from him.
Names of God Bible
If you crush a stubborn fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain, even then his stupidity will not leave him.
Modern English Version
Though you should grind a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet his foolishness will not depart from him.
Easy-to-Read Version
Even if you pound fools to powder like grain in a bowl, you will never force the foolishness out of them.
International Children’s Bible
Even if you ground up a foolish person like grain in a bowl, you couldn’t remove his foolishness.
Lexham English Bible
If you crush a fool in the mortar with the pestle along with the crushed grain, it will not drive folly from upon him.
New International Version - UK
Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding them like grain with a pestle, you will not remove their folly from them.