Proverbs 10:26

New English Translation

²⁶Like vinegar to the teeth and like smoke to the eyes,^[a]
so is the sluggard to those^[b] who send him.

Proverbs 10:26 sn Two similes are used to portray the aggravation in sending a lazy person to accomplish a task. Vinegar to the teeth is an unpleasant, irritating experience; and smoke to the eyes is an unpleasant experience that hinders progress.
Proverbs 10:26 tn The participle is plural, and so probably should be taken in a distributive sense: “to each one who sends him.”

New English Translation (NET)