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
International Standard Version
Proverbs about Wisdom and Foolishness
10 As dead flies cause the perfumer’s ointment to stink,
so also does a little foolishness to one’s reputation of wisdom and honor.
2 A wise man’s heart tends toward his right,
but a fool’s heart tends toward his left.
3 Furthermore, the way a fool lives shows he has no sense;
he proclaims to everyone that he’s a fool.
4 If your overseer gets angry at you, don’t resign,
because calmness pacifies great offenses.
5 Here’s another tragedy that I’ve observed on earth,
a kind of error that comes from an overseer:
6 Foolishness is given great honor,
while the prosperous sit in lowly places.[a]
7 And I have observed servants riding[b] on horses,
while princes walk on the ground like servants.
8 Whoever digs a pit may fall into it,
and whoever breaks through a wall
may suffer a snake bite.
9 Someone who quarries stone might be injured;
someone splitting logs can fall into danger.
10 If someone’s ax is blunt—the edge isn’t sharpened—
then more strength will be needed.
Putting wisdom to work will bring success.
11 If a serpent strikes despite being charmed,
there’s no point in being a snake charmer.
12 The words spoken by the wise are gracious,
but the lips of a fool will devour him.
13 He begins his speech with foolishness,
and concludes it with evil madness.
14 The fool overflows with words,
and no one can predict what will happen.
As to what will happen after him,
who can explain it?
15 The work of a fool so wears him out
that he can’t even find his way to town.
16 Woe to the land whose king is a youth
and whose princes feast in the morning.
17 That land is blessed whose king is of noble birth,
whose princes feast at the right time,
for strength, and not to become drunk.
18 Through slothfulness the roof deteriorates,
and a house leaks because of idleness.
19 Festivals are for laughter,
wine makes life pleasant,
and money speaks to everything.
20 Do not curse the king,
even in your thoughts.
Do not curse the rich,
even in your bedroom.
For a bird will fly by and tell what you say,
or something with wings may talk about it.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:6 The Heb. lacks places
- Ecclesiastes 10:7 The Heb. lacks riding
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