Ecclesiastes 10-12
International Children’s Bible
10 Dead flies will make even perfume smell bad.
In the same way, a little foolishness can ruin
a wise man’s fame for wisdom.
2 A wise man’s heart leads him in the right way.
But the heart of a foolish person leads him in the wrong way.
3 A foolish person is not wise.
It shows in everything he does.
Even as he walks along the road,
he shows everyone how stupid he is.
4 Don’t leave your job
just because the ruler is angry with you.
Remain calm.
It will help correct your mistakes.
5 Here is something else unfair that happens here on earth.
It is the kind of mistake rulers make:
6 Foolish people are given important positions
while rich people are given less important ones.
7 I have seen servants ride on horses
while princes walk beside them on foot.
8 Anyone who digs a pit might fall into it.
Anyone who knocks down a wall might be bitten by a snake.
9 Anyone who moves large stones might be hurt by them.
And anyone who cuts logs might get hurt while doing it.
10 Cutting logs with a dull ax
makes you work harder.
A wise man will sharpen his ax.
In the same way, wisdom can make any job easier.
11 Someone might know how to control snakes.
But what good is such wisdom if the snake has already bitten him?
12 A wise man’s words bring him praise.
But a foolish person’s words will destroy him.
13 A foolish person begins by saying something foolish.
In the end he is saying even crazier things.
14 A foolish person talks too much about what he will do.
No one knows the future.
No one can tell him what will happen after he dies.
15 A foolish person doesn’t know even the most obvious things.
He can’t even find his way back to town.
So he has to wear himself out working.
The Value of Work
16 How terrible it will be for a country
if its king is a child.
How terrible it will be for that country
if its leaders have parties all the time.
17 A country is well off
if its king comes from a good family.
It is good for a country
if its leaders control their eating and drinking.
They should eat and drink for strength,
not to get drunk.
18 If a person is lazy and doesn’t repair the roof,
it will begin to fall.
If he refuses to fix it,
the house will leak.
19 A party makes you feel good.
And wine makes you feel happy.
But both cost you a lot of money.
20 Don’t say or think bad things about the king.
And don’t say bad things about rich people even alone in your bedroom.
A little bird might report it to others.
A bird might fly to them and tell all you said.
Boldly Face the Future
11 Do good things everywhere you go.[a]
After a while the good you do will return to help you.
2 Invest what you have in several different businesses.
You don’t know what bad things might happen on earth.
3 If clouds are full of rain,
they will pour water on the earth.
A tree can fall to the north or south.
But it will stay where it falls.
4 If a person waits for perfect weather,
he will never plant his seeds.
And if he is afraid that every cloud will bring rain,
he will never harvest his crops.
5 You don’t know where the wind will blow.
And you don’t know how a baby grows in its mother’s body.
In the same way, God certainly made all things.
But you can’t understand what he is doing.
6 Begin planting early in the morning,
and don’t stop working until evening.
This is because you don’t know which things you do will succeed.
It is even possible that everything you do will succeed.
Serve God While You Are Young
7 It is good to be alive
to enjoy the light of day.
8 A person ought to enjoy every day of his life.
This is true no matter how long he lives.
But he should also remember this:
You will be dead much longer than you live.
After you are dead, you accomplish nothing.
9 Young people, enjoy yourselves while you are young.
Be happy while you are young.
Do whatever your heart desires.
Do whatever you want to do.
But remember that God will judge you
for everything you do.
10 So avoid sorrow and sadness.
Forget about all the bad things that happen to you.
This is because the joys of youth pass quickly away.
The Problems of Old Age
12 Remember your Creator while you are young.
Your old age is coming
when you will have many troubles.
When that time comes,
you won’t have much to enjoy.
2 When you become old,
the light from the sun, moon and stars will seem dark to you.
It will seem as if the rain clouds never go away.
3 At that time your arms will lose their strength.
Your strong legs will become weak and bent.
Your teeth will fall out so you cannot chew.
Your eyes will not see clearly.
4 Your ears will be deaf to the noise in the streets.
You will barely hear singing.
The sound of the millstone grinding your grain will seem very quiet.
But you’ll wake up when a bird first starts singing!
5 You will fear high places.
And you will be afraid to go for a walk because you may fall.
Your hair will become white like the flowers on an almond tree.
You will limp along like a grasshopper when you walk.
Your desires will be gone.
Then you will go to your everlasting home.
And people will go to your funeral.
6 Remember God before your life is snapped like a silver chain.
Remember God before your life is broken like a golden bowl.
It will be as useless as a broken bucket at the spring.
It will be no good, like a broken wheel at a water well.
7 Your body will become part of the dust of the earth again.
But your spirit will return to God who gave it.
8 Everything is useless!
The Teacher says that everything is useless.
Conclusion
9 The Teacher was very wise. He taught the people what he knew. The Teacher very carefully thought about, studied and set in order many wise teachings. 10 The Teacher looked for just the right words. He wrote teachings that are dependable and true.
11 Words from wise men are like sharp sticks used to guide animals. These words are like nails that have been driven in firmly. They are wise teachings that come from God the Shepherd. 12 So be careful, my son, about other teachings. People are always writing books. And too much study will make you very tired.
13 Now, everything has been heard.
Here is my final advice:
Honor God and obey his commands.
This is the most important thing people can do.
14 God knows everything people do,
even the things done in secret.
He knows all the good and all the bad.
He will judge everything people do.
Footnotes
- 11:1 Do good . . . go. Literally, “Throw your bread upon the water.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
