Ecclesiastes 10
1 Dead flies cause a perfumer's perfume To send forth a stink; The precious by reason of wisdom — By reason of honour — a little folly!
Dead flies cause to stinke, and putrifie the ointment of the apoticarie: so doeth a litle follie him that is in estimation for wisedome, and for glorie.
2 The heart of the wise [is] at his right hand, And the heart of a fool at his left.
The heart of a wise man is at his right hand: but the heart of a foole is at his left hand.
3 And also, when he that is a fool Is walking in the way, his heart is lacking, And he hath said to every one, 'He [is] a fool.'
And also when the foole goeth by the way, his heart faileth, and he telleth vnto all that he is a foole.
4 If the spirit of the ruler go up against thee, Thy place leave not, For yielding quieteth great sinners.
If the spirite of him that ruleth, rise vp against thee, leaue not thy place: for gentlenes pacifieth great sinnes.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As an error that goeth out from the ruler,
There is an euil that I haue seene vnder the sunne, as an errour that proceedeth from the face of him that ruleth.
6 He hath set the fool in many high places, And the rich in a low place do sit.
Follie is set in great excellencie, and the riche set in the lowe place.
7 I have seen servants on horses, And princes walking as servants on the earth.
I haue seene seruants on horses, and princes walking as seruants on the ground.
8 Whoso is digging a pit falleth into it, And whoso is breaking a hedge, a serpent biteth him.
He that diggeth a pit, shall fal into it, and he that breaketh the hedge, a serpent shall bite him.
9 Whoso is removing stones is grieved by them, Whoso is cleaving trees endangered by them.
He that remooueth stones, shall hurt himselfe thereby, and hee that cutteth wood, shall be in danger thereby.
10 If the iron hath been blunt, And he the face hath not sharpened, Then doth he increase strength, And wisdom [is] advantageous to make right.
If the yron be blunt, and one hath not whet the edge, he must then put to more strength: but the excellencie to direct a thing is wisedome.
11 If the serpent biteth without enchantment, Then there is no advantage to a master of the tongue.
If the serpent bite, when he is not charmed: no better is a babbler.
12 Words of the mouth of the wise [are] gracious, And the lips of a fool swallow him up.
The words of ye mouth of a wise man haue grace: but the lippes of a foole deuoure himselfe.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth [is] folly, And the latter end of his mouth [Is] mischievous madness.
The beginning of the wordes of his mouth is foolishnesse, and the latter ende of his mouth is wicked madnesse.
14 And the fool multiplieth words: 'Man knoweth not that which is, And that which is after him, who doth declare to him?'
For the foole multiplieth woordes, saying, Man knoweth not what shall be: and who can tell him what shall be after him?
15 The labour of the foolish wearieth him, In that he hath not known to go unto the city.
The labour of the foolish doeth wearie him: for he knoweth not to goe into the citie.
16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king [is] a youth, And thy princes do eat in the morning.
Woe to thee, O lande, when thy King is a childe, and thy princes eate in the morning.
17 Happy art thou, O land, When thy king [is] a son of freemen, And thy princes do eat in due season, For might, and not for drunkenness.
Blessed art thou, O land, when thy King is the sonne of nobles, and thy princes eate in time, for strength and not for drunkennesse.
18 By slothfulness is the wall brought low, And by idleness of the hands doth the house drop.
By slouthfulnes the roofe of the house goeth to decaie, and by the ydlenesse of the handes the house droppeth through.
19 For mirth they are making a feast, And wine maketh life joyful, And the silver answereth with all.
They prepare bread for laughter, and wine comforteth the liuing, but siluer answereth to all.
20 Even in thy mind a king revile not, And in the inner parts of thy bed-chamber Revile not the rich: For a fowl of the heavens causeth the voice to go, And a possessor of wings declareth the word.
Curse not the King, no not in thy thought, neither curse the rich in thy bed chamber: for the foule of the heauen shall carie the voice, and that which hath wings, shall declare the matter.
