Ecclesiastes 10
1 Dying flies spoil the sweetness of the ointment. Wisdom and glory is more precious than a small and shortlived folly.
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 fool 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 Yea, and the fool when he walketh in the way, whereas be himself is a fool, esteemeth all men fools.
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 him that hath power, ascend upon thee, leave not thy place: because care will make 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 that I have seen under the sun, as it were by an error proceeding from the face of the prince:
There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As ignorance that goes out from the ruler,
6 A fool set in high dignity, and the rich sitting beneath.
He has set the fool in many high places, And the rich sits in a low place.
7 I have seen servants upon horses: and princes walking on the ground as servants.
I have seen servants on horses, And princes walking as servants on the earth.
8 He that diggeth a pit, shall fall into it: and he that breaketh a hedge, a serpent shall bite him.
Whoever is digging a pit falls into it, And whoever is breaking a hedge, a serpent bites him.
9 He that removeth stones, shall be hurt by them: and he that cutteth trees, shall be wounded by them.
Whoever is removing stones is grieved by them, Whoever is cleaving trees endangered by them.
10 If the iron be blunt, and be not as before, but be made blunt, with much labour it shall be sharpened: and after industry shall follow wisdom.
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 If a serpent bite in silence, he is nothing better that backbiteth secretly.
If the serpent bites without enchantment, Then there is no advantage to a master of the tongue.
12 The words of the mouth of a wise man are grace: but the lips of a fool shall throw him down headlong.
Words of the mouth of the wise [are] gracious, And the lips of a fool swallow him up.
13 The beginning of his words is folly, and the end of his talk is a mischievous error.
The beginning of the words of his mouth [is] folly, And the latter end of his mouth [Is] mischievous madness.
14 A fool multiplieth words. A man cannot tell what hath been before him: and what shall be after him, who can tell 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 labour of fools shall afflict them that know not bow to go to the city.
The labor of the foolish wearies him, In that he has not known to go to the city.
16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and when the princes eat 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 in due season for refreshment, and not for riotousness.
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 slothfulness a building shall be brought down, and through the weakness of hands, the house shall drop through.
By slothfulness is the wall brought low, And by idleness of the hands the house drops.
19 For laughter they make bread, and wine that the living may feast: and all things obey money.
For mirth they are making a feast, And wine makes life joyful, And the silver answers with all.
20 Detract not the king, no not in thy thought; and speak not evil of the rich man in thy private chamber: because even the birds of the air will carry thy voice, and he that hath wings will tell what thou hast said.
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.
