Ecclesiastes 10
1 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!
Dead flies make the oil of the perfumer give out an evil smell; more valued is a little wisdom than the great glory of the foolish.
2 The heart of the wise [is] at his right hand, And the heart of a fool at his left.
The heart of the wise man goes in the right direction; but the heart of a foolish man in the wrong.
3 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.”
And when the foolish man is walking in the way, he has no sense and lets everyone see that he is foolish.
4 If the spirit of the ruler goes up against you, do not leave your place, For yielding quiets great sinners.
If the wrath of the ruler is against you, keep in your place; in him who keeps quiet even great sins may be overlooked.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As ignorance that goes out from the ruler,
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, like an error which comes by chance from a ruler:
6 He has set the fool in many high places, And the rich sits in a low place.
The foolish are placed in high positions, but men of wealth are kept low.
7 I have seen servants on horses, And princes walking as servants on the earth.
I have seen servants on horses, and rulers walking on the earth as servants.
8 Whoever is digging a pit falls into it, And whoever is breaking a hedge, a serpent bites him.
He who makes a hole for others will himself go into it, and for him who makes a hole through a wall the bite of a snake will be a punishment.
9 Whoever is removing stones is grieved by them, Whoever is cleaving trees endangered by them.
He who gets out stones from the earth will be damaged by them, and in the cutting of wood there is danger.
10 If the iron has been blunt, And he has not sharpened the face, Then he increases strength, And wisdom [is] advantageous to make right.
If the iron has no edge, and he does not make it sharp, then he has to put out more strength; but wisdom makes things go well.
11 If the serpent bites without enchantment, Then there is no advantage to a master of the tongue.
If a snake gives a bite before the word of power is said, then there is no longer any use in the word of power.
12 Words of the mouth of the wise [are] gracious, And the lips of a fool swallow him up.
The words of a wise man's mouth are sweet to all, but the lips of a foolish man are his destruction.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth [is] folly, And the latter end of his mouth [Is] mischievous madness.
The first words of his mouth are foolish, and the end of his talk is evil crime.
14 And the fool multiplies words: “Man does not know that which is—And that which is after him, who declares to him?”
The foolish are full of words; man has no knowledge of what will be; and who is able to say what will be after him?
15 The labor of the foolish wearies him, In that he has not known to go to the city.
The work of the foolish will be a weariness to him, because he has no knowledge of the way to the town.
16 Woe to you, O land, when your king [is] a youth, And your princes eat in the morning.
Unhappy is the land whose king is a boy, and whose rulers are feasting in the morning.
17 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.
Happy is the land whose ruler is of noble birth, and whose chiefs take food at the right time, for strength and not for feasting.
18 By slothfulness is the wall brought low, And by idleness of the hands the house drops.
When no work is done the roof goes in, and when the hands do nothing water comes into the house.
19 For mirth they are making a feast, And wine makes life joyful, And the silver answers with all.
A feast is for laughing, and wine makes glad the heart; but by the one and the other money is wasted.
20 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.
Say not a curse against the king, even in your thoughts; and even secretly say not a curse against the man of wealth; because a bird of the air will take the voice, and that which has wings will give news of it.
