Ecclesiastes 10
1 Dying flies ruin the sweetness of the ointment. Wisdom and glory is more precious than a brief and limited foolishness.
Dead flies cause a perfumer’s perfume To send forth a stink; The precious by reason of wisdom—By reason of honor—a little folly!
2 The heart of a wise man is in his right hand, and the heart of a foolish man is in his left hand.
The heart of the wise [is] at his right hand, And the heart of a fool at his left.
3 Moreover, as a foolish man is walking along the way, even though he himself is unwise, he considers everyone to be foolish.
And also, when he that is a fool Is walking in the way, his heart is lacking, And he has said to everyone, “He [is] a fool.”
4 If the spirit of one who holds authority rises over you, do not leave your place, because attentiveness will cause the greatest sins to cease.
If the spirit of the ruler goes up against you, do not leave your place, For yielding quiets great sinners.
5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, proceeding from the presence of a prince, as if by mistake:
There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As ignorance that goes out from the ruler,
6 a foolish man appointed to a high dignity, and the rich sitting beneath him.
He has set the fool in many high places, And the rich sits in a low place.
7 I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking on the ground like servants.
I have seen servants on horses, And princes walking as servants on the earth.
8 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it. And whoever tears apart a hedge, a snake will bite him.
Whoever is digging a pit falls into it, And whoever is breaking a hedge, a serpent bites him.
9 Whoever carries away stones will be harmed by them. And whoever cuts down trees will be wounded by them.
Whoever is removing stones is grieved by them, Whoever is cleaving trees endangered by them.
10 If the iron is dull, and if it was not that way before, but has been made dull by much labor, then it will be sharpened. And wisdom will follow after diligence.
If the iron has been blunt, And he has not sharpened the face, Then he increases strength, And wisdom [is] advantageous to make right.
11 Whoever slanders in secret is nothing less than a snake that bites silently.
If the serpent bites without enchantment, Then there is no advantage to a master of the tongue.
12 Words from the mouth of a wise man are graceful, but the lips of a foolish man will throw him down with violence.
Words of the mouth of the wise [are] gracious, And the lips of a fool swallow him up.
13 At the beginning of his words is foolishness, and at the end of his talk is a most grievous error.
The beginning of the words of his mouth [is] folly, And the latter end of his mouth [Is] mischievous madness.
14 The fool multiplies his words. A man does not know what has been before him, and who is able to reveal to him what will be in the future after him?
And the fool multiplies words: “Man does not know that which is—And that which is after him, who declares to him?”
15 The hardship of the foolish will afflict those who do not know to go into the city.
The labor of the foolish wearies him, In that he has not known to go to the city.
16 Woe to you, the land whose king is a boy, and whose princes consume in the morning.
Woe to you, O land, when your king [is] a youth, And your princes eat in the morning.
17 Blessed is the land whose king is noble, and whose princes eat at the proper time, for refreshment and not for self-indulgence.
Blessed are you, O land, When your king [is] a son of nobles, And your princes eat in due season, For might, and not for drunkenness.
18 By laziness, a framework shall be brought down, and by the weakness of hands, a house shall collapse through.
By slothfulness is the wall brought low, And by idleness of the hands the house drops.
19 While laughing, they make bread and wine, so that the living may feast. And all things are obedient to money.
For mirth they are making a feast, And wine makes life joyful, And the silver answers with all.
20 You should not slander the king, even in your thoughts, and you should not speak evil of a wealthy man, even in your private chamber. For even the birds of the air will carry your voice, and whatever has wings will announce your opinion.
Even in your mind do not revile a king, And in the inner parts of your bed-chamber do not revile the rich: For a bird of the heavens causes the voice to go, And a possessor of wings declares the word.
