Ecclesiastes 10
Lexham English Bible
10 Dead flies cause a bad smell and ruin[a] the ointment of the perfumer.
So also a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 The heart of the wise inclines to his right,
but the heart of the fool inclines to his left.
3 Even when the fool walks along the road, he lacks sense;
he tells everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the anger of the ruler rises against you,
do not leave your post,
for calmness can undo great offenses.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun—
it is an error that proceeds from a ruler!
6 The fool is set in many high places,
but the rich sit in lowly places.
7 I have even seen slaves riding on horses
and princes walking like slaves on the earth!
Accidents Happen—Even to Professionals
8 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it.
Whoever breaks through a wall, a snake will bite him.
9 Whoever quarries[b] stones will be wounded by them.
Whoever splits logs will be endangered by them.
Hard Work and Skill Alone Cannot Succeed—Wisdom is Necessary
10 If the ax is blunt but one does not sharpen its edge,
he must exert more effort,[c]
but the advantage of wisdom is it brings success.
11 If the snake bites before the charming,
the snake charmer will not succeed.[d]
The Consequences of Foolishness
12 The wise man wins favor by the words of his mouth,
but the fool is devoured by his own lips.
13 He begins by saying what is foolish
and ends by uttering what is wicked delusion.
14 The fool talks too much,[e]
for no one knows what will be.
Who can tell anyone what will happen in the future?[f]
15 The fool is so worn out by a hard day’s work
he cannot even find his way home at night.[g]
16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a youth
and your princes feast in the morning.
17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is a son of nobility
and your princes feast at the proper time—
to gain strength and not to get drunk.
18 Through sloth the roof sinks in,
and through idleness of hands the house leaks.
19 Feasts are held for celebration,[h]
wine cheers the living,
and money answers everything.
20 Do not curse the king even in your thoughts,
and do not curse the rich even in your own bedroom,
for a bird of the sky may carry your voice;
a winged messenger may repeat your words.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:1 Or “spew”
- Ecclesiastes 10:9 Literally “breaks out”
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 Literally “he must be more strength”
- Ecclesiastes 10:11 Literally “there is no advantage to the owner of the charm”
- Ecclesiastes 10:14 Literally “increases words”
- Ecclesiastes 10:14 Literally “after him”
- Ecclesiastes 10:15 Or “for he knows not to go to a city”
- Ecclesiastes 10:19 Literally “They make bread for laughter”
Ecclesiastes 10
English Standard Version
10 Dead flies make (A)the perfumer's ointment give off a stench;
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 (B)A wise man's heart inclines him to the right,
but a fool's heart to the left.
3 Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense,
and he (C)says to everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the anger of the ruler rises against you, (D)do not leave your place,
(E)for calmness[a] will lay great offenses to rest.
5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were (F)an error proceeding from the ruler: 6 (G)folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. 7 (H)I have seen slaves (I)on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.
8 He who (J)digs a pit will fall into it,
and (K)a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.
9 (L)He who quarries stones is hurt by them,
and he who (M)splits logs is endangered by them.
10 If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge,
he must use more strength,
but wisdom helps one to succeed.[b]
11 If the serpent bites before it is (N)charmed,
there is no advantage to the charmer.
12 The words of a wise man's mouth (O)win him favor,[c]
but (P)the lips of a fool consume him.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,
and the end of his talk is evil madness.
14 (Q)A fool multiplies words,
though no man knows what is to be,
and who can tell him (R)what will be after him?
15 The toil of a fool wearies him,
for he does not know (S)the way to the city.
16 (T)Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
and your princes feast in the morning!
17 Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility,
and your princes feast at the proper time,
for strength, and not for (U)drunkenness!
18 Through sloth the roof sinks in,
and through indolence the house leaks.
19 Bread is made for laughter,
and (V)wine gladdens life,
and (W)money answers everything.
20 Even in your thoughts, (X)do not curse the king,
nor in your (Y)bedroom curse the rich,
for a bird of the air will carry your voice,
or some winged creature tell the matter.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:4 Hebrew healing
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 Or wisdom is an advantage for success
- Ecclesiastes 10:12 Or are gracious
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
